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Murtezeni: The implementation dynamics of the reform agenda are good so far, but not enough

by AI | 29.Mar 2025 | Europe in brief AI

Murtezi believes that reforms in the judiciary are proceeding somewhat more slowly and with greater difficulty, but he hopes they will gain momentum.

Joint press conference of the Minister for European Affairs of North Macedonia Orhan Murtezani and the Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Skopje, Michalis Rokas Photo: Ministry of European Affairs of North Macedonia

Skopje – The dynamics of implementing the reform agenda from the Growth Plan for the country is good, but not sufficient, assessed the Minister of European Affairs Orhan Murtezani at today’s presentation of the measures from the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the Reform Agenda 2024-2027 for North Macedonia at the joint press conference in the Government’s media center with the Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Skopje, Michalis Rokas.

Murtezani emphasized in response to a journalist’s question that according to the Reform Agenda adopted in Brussels, for all reforms that will not be fulfilled within the specified deadline, an automatic grace period of 12 months takes effect, but stressed that this should not be a mitigating circumstance for us, because for each period there are additional reforms, and if we do not implement them on time, they will accumulate, which ultimately means, he says, that we will not successfully realize them.

– So far there is no such feedback from the implementation process. In my opinion as the national coordinator, the implementation process is satisfactory, but it needs to be further strengthened because if we had only five reform steps by December, we have 16 by June, and 45 by the end of the year. Plus, it’s not just the Reform Agenda, there are other processes that are subject to reforms in the country, so they all need to go in parallel and the deadlines must be respected, emphasized Murtezani.

Asked whether it is possible that if there are delays with the reforms these funds from the Growth Plan in the total value of 750.4 million euros will be taken away from us considering the experience of using IPA funds, Murtezani stressed that from the beginning of his mandate he has called for strengthening the capacities of the country for using IPA funds, and that if we do not commit ourselves with concrete steps, the same could happen to us with the Reform Agenda from the Growth Plan.

– As a minister, I have an agenda to implement these activities, and this exceeds the problems we had with IPA. As of now, we have a clear signal that the dynamics of implementation is really good, but not sufficient, because the number of reforms needs to be increased.

In response to the question of where he thinks we are most delayed with the reforms, in which institution and what is the weakest link, Murtezani said that in the judiciary sector, the reforms are proceeding somewhat more slowly, more slowly, and he hopes that they will gain momentum. (March 28, 2025)