Brussels, 16/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle and Prime Minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Nikola Gruevski got the “High-Level Accession Dialogue” underway on Thursday 15 March.
The conclusions of the meeting underline that this dialogue “will represent an inclusive framework involving other relevant national stakeholders, including civil society, for the definition and implementation of the national EU-accession reform agenda”. The FYROM government intends to make “speedy progress” and, with the support of the European Commission, to put in place detailed measures. An operational roadmap will be adopted by the government in mid-April, and the next two Dialogue sessions are scheduled in May and September.
Stress laid on five priority areas. At this first session Füle and Gruevski confirmed agreement of the five priority areas for action: freedom of expression in the media; the rule of law; public administration reform; electoral reform; strengthening the market economy. Targets were set for each.
In freedom of expression and professional standards in the media two targets are set: firstly, amendment of defamation legislation, improving court practice and strengthening professional standards, and, secondly, improvement of enforcement by the Broadcasting Council of media ownership rules and amendments to the legislation. The government's first measures will be to protect freedom of expression in the media, the conclusions of the meeting state.
The emphasis in the rule of law and fundamental rights will be on improving the efficiency and quality of justice and the independence of the judiciary, toughening anti-corruption measures and verifying enforcement, increasing the efficiency and transparency of management of interception of communication investigative technique, and improving inter-community dialogue. In public administration reform, efforts are to be put into improving human resources management and the framework governing administrative procedures, and there is also to be further decentralisation.
For electoral reform, sufficient separation between the state and the party has to be ensured, gaps and ambiguities in the electoral code have to be addressed, and there will have to be a complete and thorough audit and revision of the voters' list. Finally, to strengthen the market economy, the labour market and education have to be improved, as, indeed, will the business environment, and economic policy-making and implementation will have to be bolstered.
Bridge leading to accession negotiations. “Today we have opened a new phase in the European journey of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. We have launched the High Level Accession Dialogue. With it, we are building a bridge which will lead us to the accession negotiations. (…) The main focus of this bridge is reforms because they will help to transform the country and bring closer the European perspective”, Füle said, stating that the results of the Dialogue are “not an empty political declaration” but “a list of concrete conclusions and an annex with targets for different areas”. Accession negotiations are being blocked by the dispute between Greece and the FYROM over the name of the country. (CG/transl.rt)