Македонски центар за меѓународна соработка - МЦМС

On 25th February, the 2nd meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) on Civil Society of the Republic of Macedonia and the European Union took place in the Holiday Inn Hotel in Skopje. The meeting addressed the improvements made by the Republic of Macedonia on its path to EU integration. The social and economic rights issues were the focus of the meeting. Tanja Hafner Ademi, Executive Director of BCSDN was among the observers to the meeting.

In the introductory part, the participants were addressed by Mr. Xhelal Bajrami, Minister of Labor and Social Policy. He welcomed the Committee's work and stressed that its work is expected to initiate more discussion and information exchange in Macedonia and the EU. Mr. Vasko Naumovski, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, in his address stressed the importance of the participation of civil society in policy-making and commitment of the Government to improve its inclusion in the future. His Excelency, Ambassador Erwan Fouere, Special Representative and Head of the Delegation and the two presidents, Ms. Vladimir Drbalova and Mr. Saso Klekovski also addressed the members of the JCC, observers and guests.

In the second part of the meeting, Minister Bajrami spoke about the current state of Macedonia on the path towards the EU. He emphasized the efforts of the Government to provide continuity in the reform processes, particularly in the implementation of the priorities of the Accession Partnership. He further gave a brief summary of key achievements in meeting the Copenhagen criteria. Finally, Minister Bajrami once again stressed that this Committee with its work should contribute to the promotion and development of social and civil dialogue as practiced in several European countries between the social partners.

Ambassador Fouere, speaking on the same topic has highlighted the key areas where reforms must continue: the end of the name issue of the state, effective implementation of adopted laws that are of vital importance, the independence of the judiciary and the elimination of all forms of political influence, fighting corruption, achieve greater trust between ethnic communities, further implementation of the Ohrid Agreement, greater commitment to the inclusion of civil society organizations in decision-making process, strengthening of social dialogue through the presentation and further extensive consultation and debate to achieve the best solutions for anti-discrimination law.

On the end of the Second meeting, the Joint Consultative Committee adopted   conclusions that reflect several segments: the Path of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia towards the EU, the Economic and social rights, the Social inclusion policies and the way forward.