Regionale vertegenwoordigers EU en Macedonië komen bijeen voor goed gebruik pretoetredingsfondsen (en)

Local and regional representatives from the EU countries and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met today in Brussels to discuss recent developments in the country's process towards accession to the EU, from the subnational point of view. Participants also shared experiences on how to make good use of EU pre-accession funds and how to prepare for the implementation of the EU structural funds.

The local and regional representatives from the EU and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met today for the 9th time in the framework of the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) set up by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) to ensure that local and regional authorities are involved in the country's EU accession process. The JCC meeting focused on two main issues: the involvement of local and regional authorities in the country's accession process in view of the European Commission's 2013 Progress Report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and good practises in managing EU funds to ensure that local and regional authorities can make the best use out of the EU's pre-accession funds and prepare for using well structural and cohesion funds.

Opening the meeting, Ivica Konevski, Mayor of Aerodrom and JCC co-chair, pointed out the importance of the expertise provided by EU local and regional authorities. "We want to build our future in the European Union. For that, the CoR is helping us in defining our needs and goals to build a more democratic and pluralistic society. European local and regional authorities' support is essential for us to be able to continue with our work in reinforcing the decentralisation process in our country", he said.

As European Union co-chair of the CoR's working group, Jacques Blanc (FR/EPP), Mayor of La Canourgue, recalled the CoR's involvement in the democratic process of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; notably by taking part in the Observation Mission organised by the Council of Europe during the country's latest local elections in spring 2013.

Representing the national government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Biljana Cvetanovska-Gugoska, State Secretary of the Ministry of Local Self-government, emphasised the important progress made by her country so far in the political field. She also referred to the future by stressing that "our next step forward will be budgetary decentralisation and the distribution of funds coming from the new Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for the period 2014-2020".

Representing Poland's biggest region, Adam Struzik (PL/EPP), Marshall of the Mazowsze region, presented examples of his country's best practises in managing cohesion funds. "The cornerstone should be the partnership principle. Local and regional authorities have to work together with economic and social partners choosing the projects that can best contribute to regional economic growth and creating employment", highlighted the CoR member, who also recalled that "local and regional authorities are responsible for assessing the situation, setting priorities, making the selection of projects and the subsequent control, while always being fair and sticking to transparency principles".

Note to editors

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, has been an EU candidate country for eight years and since 2009, the Commission recommended to open negotiations for accession, assessing that the country sufficiently met the political criteria. The CoR's JCC on relations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was set up to ensure that the local and regional authorities coming from both sides of the accession process are involved, in particular with regard to the implementation of the acquis communautaire at regional and local level.