In the past year, N. Macedonia has not made progress in any key area of the first cluster for the negotiations that refers to the rule of law, the judiciary, the fight against corruption, the reform of public administration and democratic institutions, it is stated in the Report of the European Commission for 2023 on the progress of our country towards EU standards. The main remarks refer to the non-functionality of the Parliament, the misuse of the so-called EU flag, the amendments to the Criminal Code which made the charges of high corruption against former officials fall under statute of limitations, the developments in the Judicial Council, the floundering in the reform of the public administration, the failure to adopt the recommendations of the OSCE on the Electoral Code etc.
The work of the Parliament was marred by political polarization, which further deepened, delaying the adoption of many reform laws and important appointments. The Parliament and the Government have committed to make the constitutional amendments a priority. There was excessive and sometimes inappropriate use of the EU flag fast-track procedure in the Parliament, due to the lack of consultation and poor planning of the legislative calendar. The EU flag should be used when it is directly related to the adoption of laws whose main purpose is to harmonize with EU law, and not to curtail public debate on important issues, reads the Report.
