Proposal for a Council Decision on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and repealing Decision 2006/57/EC
Date: 2007-11-06
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: North Macedonia, accession criteria, accession to the European Union, association agreement (EU), cooperation agreement (EU), enlargement of the Union

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 6.11.2007 
COM(2007) 659 final 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with 
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and repealing Decision 2006/57/EC 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

The  Thessaloniki  European  Council  of  19  and  20  June  2003  endorsed  the  "Thessaloniki 
Agenda for the Western Balkans", which introduced the European Partnerships as a means of 
realising the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries. 

On  30  January  2006  the  Council  adopted  the  revised  European  Partnership  for  the  former 
Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia,  based  on  the  Commission’s  proposal  presented  on 
9 November  2005.  The  partnerships  contain  short–term  and  medium–term  priorities.  The 
European Council of 17 December 2005 granted the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 
candidate country status.  

Therefore  the  Commission  considers  it  appropriate  to  present  a  proposal  for  an  Accession 
Partnership  for  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia.  This  renewed  partnership  is 
based on the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 533/2004 of 22 March 2004 and takes 
into  account  the  new  developments  as  described  in  the  2007  Progress  Report.  It  lists  short- 
and  medium-term  priorities  for  the  country’s  preparations  for  further  integration  with  the 
European Union. 

In  order  to  respond  to  the  Accession  Partnership,  the  competent  authorities  in  the  former 
Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  should  develop  a  plan  with  a  timetable  and  specified 
measures  the  country  intends  to  take  to  this  end.  The  Commission  will  monitor  progress  in 
implementing the priorities regularly. 

The Accession Partnership priorities form the basis for programming the financial assistance 
of the Community, which will continue to be provided under relevant financial instruments, in 
particular Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 of 17 July 2006 establishing the Instrument 
for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). 

The  proposed  Council  Decision  has  no  financial  implications.  In  view  of  the  above,  the 
Commission invites the Council to adopt the attached proposal for a Council Decision. 

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Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with 
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and repealing Decision 2006/57/EC 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 

Having  regard  to  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  533/2004  of  22  March  2004  on  the 
establishment of partnerships in the framework of the stabilisation and association process1, as 
amended, and in particular Article 2 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

1 

2 
3 

The Thessaloniki European Council of 19 and 20 June 2003 endorsed the introduction 
of the Partnerships as a means to materialise the European perspective of the Western 
Balkan countries. 

Regulation (EC) No 533/2004 provides that the Council is to decide on the principles, 
priorities and conditions to be contained in the partnerships, as well as any subsequent 
adjustments.  It  states  also  that  the  follow-up  to  the  partnerships  will  be  ensured 
through the mechanisms established under the Stabilisation and Association Process, 
notably by the annual progress reports. 

The European Council of 17 December 2005 granted the former Yugoslav Republic of 
Macedonia  candidate  country  status.  Therefore,  a  proposal  has  been  made  to  amend 
Regulation  533/2004  to  change  the  name  of  the  Partnership  for  this  country  from 
"European Partnership" to "Accession Partnership"2. 

On  30  January  2006  the  Council  adopted  the  second  Accession  Partnership  with  the 
former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia3,  following  the  proposal  from  the 
Commission of November 2005. 

The  Commission’s  Paper  on  enlargement  strategy  and  main  challenges  2006–2007 
indicated that the partnerships would be updated at the end of 2007. 

OJ  L  86,  24.3.2004,  p.  1.  Regulation  as  last  amended  by  Regulation  (EC)  No  269/2006  (OJ  L  47, 
17.2.2006, p. 7). 
Decision EC XX of [date] (proposal launched on 6 November 2007). 
Council Decision 2006/57/EC of 30 January 2006 on the principles, priorities and conditions contained 
in the European Partnership with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and repealing Decision 
2004/518/EC (OJ L 35, 7.2.2006, p. 32). 

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(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

On 12 June 2006 the Council adopted Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 establishing an 
Instrument  for  Pre-accession  Assistance  (IPA)4,  which  renews  the  framework  for 
financial assistance to pre-accession countries. 

It is therefore appropriate to adopt an Accession Partnership which updates the current 
partnership in order to identify renewed priorities for further work, on the basis of the 
findings  of  the  2007  Progress  Report  on  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of 
Macedonia’s preparations for further integration with the European Union. 

In  order  to  prepare  for  further  integration  with  the  European  Union,  the  competent 
authorities in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should develop a plan with 
a  timetable  and  specific  measures  to  address  the  priorities  of  this  Accession 
Partnership.  

(9) 

Decision 2006/57/EC should therefore be repealed, 

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 

The  principles,  priorities  and  conditions  in  the  Accession  Partnership  with  the  former 
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are set out in the Annex. 

Article 2 

The implementation of the Accession Partnership shall be examined through the mechanisms 
established under the stabilisation and association process, notably the annual progress reports 
presented by the Commission. 

Decision 2006/57/EC shall be repealed. 

Article 3 

Article 4 

This  Decision  shall  take  effect  on  the  third  day  following  its  publication  in  the  Official 
Journal of the European Union. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the Council 
The President  

4 

OJ L 210, 31.7.2006, p. 82. 

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ANNEX: THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA  
2007 ACCESSION PARTNERSHIP 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The European Council endorsed the introduction of the partnerships as a means to realise the 
European perspective of the Western Balkan countries. The proposed Accession Partnership 
updates  the  European  Partnership  of  January  2006,  on  the  basis  of  the  findings  of  the  2007 
Commission  Progress  Report  on  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia.  It  identifies 
new  and  remaining  priorities  for  action.  The  new  priorities  are  adapted  to  the  country’s 
specific  needs  and  stage  of  preparation  and  will  be  updated  as  necessary.  The  former 
Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  is  expected  to  develop  a  plan  including  a  timetable  and 
specific  measures  intended  to  address  the  Accession  Partnership  priorities.  The  partnership 
also provides guidance for financial assistance to the country. 

2. 

PRINCIPLES 

The Stabilisation and Association Process remains the framework for the European course of 
the Western Balkan countries, all the way to their  future  accession. The priorities identified 
for  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  relate  to  its  capacity  to  meet  the  criteria 
defined  by  the  Copenhagen  European  Council  of  1993  and  the  conditions  set  by  the 
Stabilisation  and  Association  Process,  notably  the  conditions  defined  by  the  Council  in  its 
conclusions  of  29  April  1997  and  21  and  22  June  1999,  the  final  declaration  of  the  Zagreb 
Summit of 24 November 2000 and the Thessaloniki Agenda. 

3. 

PRIORITIES 

The  priorities  listed  in  this  Accession  Partnership  have  been  selected  on  the  basis  that  it  is 
realistic to expect that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia can complete them or take 
them substantially forward over the next few years. A distinction is made between short-term 
priorities, which are expected to be accomplished within one to two years, and medium-term 
priorities,  which  are  expected  to  be  accomplished  within  three  to  four  years.  The  priorities 
concern both legislation and its implementation.  

In  view  of  the  need  to  set  priorities,  clearly  there  are  other  tasks  for  the  former  Yugoslav 
Republic  of  Macedonia  to  complete  which  may  become  priorities  in  any  future  partnership, 
also  taking  into  account  future  progress  made  by  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of 
Macedonia. 

Among the short-term priorities, the key ones have been identified and grouped together at the 
beginning  of  the  list.  The  order  of  these  key  priorities  does  not  imply  a  ranking  of  their 
importance. 

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3.1. 

Short-term priorities 

Key priorities 

–  Ensure  proper  implementation  of  all  commitments  undertaken  in  the  Stabilisation  and 

Association Agreement. 

–  Promote  a  constructive  and  inclusive  dialogue,  in  particular  in  areas  which  require 
consensus between all political parties, in the framework of the democratic institutions. 

–  Ensure effective implementation of the Law on police. 

–  Establish a sustained track record on implementation  of judiciary reforms and strengthen 
the independence and overall capacity of the judicial system. Complete the reform of the 
prosecution and finalise the appointment of the Judicial Council.  

–  Establish a sustained track record on implementation of anti-corruption legislation. 

–  Ensure that recruitment and career advancement of civil servants is not subject to political 
interference, further develop a merit-based career system and implement fully the Law on 
civil servants. 

–  Reduce impediments to employment creation and address in particular youth and long term 

unemployment. 

–  Enhance  the  general  business  environment  by  further  improving  the  rule  of  law, 
strengthening the independence of regulatory and supervisory agencies, speeding up legal 
procedures and continuing registration of property rights. 

Political criteria 

Democracy and the rule of law 

–  Sustain  implementation  of  the  Ohrid  Framework  Agreement  with  a  view,  inter  alia,  to 

promoting inter-ethnic confidence-building. 

Parliament/Elections 

–  Ensure that the next presidential and municipal elections are conducted in accordance with 

the electoral code. 

–  Deliver prompt decisions on any election irregularities and impose penalties that will deter 

further cases. 

–  Enhance the capacity of parliament, notably by increasing its resources. 

Government 

–  Strengthen  the  transparency  and  accountability  of  the  local  administrations.  In  particular, 

strengthen internal control and audits. 

–  Establish a satisfactory standard of municipal tax collection throughout the country. 

–  Develop the capacity of municipalities to manage state-owned land. 

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–  Ensure that the number and competence of staff of municipalities are sufficient.  

Public administration 

–  Introduce  a  merit  bases  career  system  in  order  to  build  an  accountable,  efficient  and 

professional public administration at central and local level. 

–  Ensure effective implementation of the code of ethics for civil servants. 

–  Strengthen  administrative  capacity,  notably  by  developing  the  capacity  for  strategic 
planning  and  policy  development  as  well  as  enhancing  training,  and  develop  a  general 
strategy on training for civil servants. 

–  Implement effectively the measures adopted to ensure transparency in the administration, 
in  particular  in  the  decision-making  process,  and  further  promote  active  participation  by 
civil society. 

–  Pursue implementation of the reforms of the law enforcement agencies. 

Judicial system 

–  Further develop initial and continuous training in the academy for judges and prosecutors. 

–  Complete the  setting-up  of  the  new  court structures and allocate appropriate resources to 

ensure that they are fully operational and enhance their efficiency. 

–  Ensure proper and full execution of court rulings. 

Anti-corruption policy 

–  Ensure  an  adequate  follow-up  to  the  recommendations  made  by  the  State  Commission 

Against Corruption and the State Audit Office. 

–  Implement  fully  the  recommendations  made  by  the  Group  of  States  against  Corruption 

(GRECO). 

–  Strengthen  the  administrative  capacity  needed  to  implement  the  rules  adopted  on  the 
financing of political parties and electoral campaigns. Impose effective sanctions in case of 
infringements. 

–  Follow up the reviews carried out of discretionary rights of certain public officials. 

–  Ensure full implementation of the law on public access to information. 

Human rights and protection of minorities 

–  Fully  comply  with  the  European  Convention  on  Human  Rights,  the  recommendations 
made  by  the  Committee  for  the  Prevention  of  Torture  as  well  as  the  Framework 
Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. 

–  Implement  fully  the  rules  applying  to  ethics,  internal  control,  professional  and  human 
rights standards in law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and the prison administration, 
including by regular training. 

–  Provide sufficient resources to bring prison conditions up to a higher standard. 

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–  Set up effective mechanisms to identify, pursue and penalise all forms of discrimination by 

state and non-state bodies against individuals or groups. 

–  Upgrade  and  implement  the  strategy  on  equitable  representation  of  non-majority 
communities,  notably  by  providing  adequate  resources  and  imposing  effective  sanctions 
for failure to meet targets. 

–  Promote access to education, justice and social welfare for members of minority groups. 

Regional issues and international obligations 

–  Continue to cooperate fully with the ICTY and, in view of the possible return of files from 

the ICTY, meet all the necessary preconditions that would ensure due process. 

–  Continue  to  promote  the  transition  from  the  Stability  Pact  to  a  more  regionally  owned 
cooperation framework and effective implementation of the Central European Free Trade 
Agreement (CEFTA). 

–  Ensure good neighbourly relations, in particular by intensifying efforts to find a negotiated 
and mutually acceptable solution to the name issue with Greece, in the framework of UN 
Security Council Resolutions 817/93 and 845/93. 

–  Foster  cooperation  with  neighbouring  countries  and  ensure  effective  implementation, 
notably  on  cross  border  cooperation,  the  fight  against  organised  crime,  trafficking  and 
smuggling, judicial cooperation, border management, readmission and the environment. 

Economic criteria 

–  Proceed with the registration of land and real estate and strengthen the cadastre in order to 
enhance  legal  certainty  for  economic  operators  and  improve  the  functioning  of  market 
economy mechanisms. 

–  Improve  the  efficiency  of  public  services,  notably  by  providing  additional  funds  for 

training and for upgrading the current infrastructure. 

Ability to assume the obligations of membership 

Chapter 1: Free movement of goods 

–  Adopt  and  implement  horizontal  framework  legislation  to  complete  the  necessary 
infrastructure, and ensure a segregation of tasks between the various functions (regulation, 
standardisation, accreditation, metrology, conformity assessment and market surveillance) 
for conformity assessment procedures. 

–  Draft  a  comprehensive  strategy  with  milestones  for  implementation  of  the  acquis  for  the 
relevant  horizontal  organisations  (standardisation,  accreditation,  metrology  and  market 
surveillance)  together  with  target  dates  and  clear  responsibilities  for  introducing  and 
effectively implementing legislative measures and enhancing administrative capacity in the 
different sectors. 

–  Draft  an  action  plan  for  compliance  with  Articles  28  to  30  of  the  EC  Treaty  with 
milestones  for  internal  screening  of  domestic  legislation  and  administrative  practices,  for 
introducing mutual recognition clauses and for the necessary subsequent amendments. 

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–  Speed up the rate of adoption of European standards and step up efforts to become a full 

member of the European standardisation organisations. 

Chapter 3: Right of establishment and freedom to provide services 

–  Remove the remaining barriers to establishment and to provision of cross-border services 

facing natural or legal persons from the EU. 

–  Introduce  in  the  legislation  a  differentiation  between  provision  of  services  through 

permanent establishment and provision on a temporary basis. 

Chapter 4: Free movement of capital 

–  Further  strengthen  the  anti-money  laundering  framework,  in  particular  by  raising 
awareness among reporting institutions and by establishing a credible enforcement record 
on the part of the relevant institutions.  

–  Make progress in the removal of remaining restrictions on capital movements. 

Chapter 5: Public procurement 

–  Strengthen  the  Complaints  Committee,  in  order  to  provide  for  an  effective  remedies 

system. 

Chapter 6: Company law 

–  Develop  effective  and  independent  quality  assurance  and  public  oversight  systems  for 

statutory auditors and audit firms. Strengthen relevant administrative capacities. 

Chapter 7: Intellectual property law 

–  Prepare  a  national  strategy  and  action  plan  for  building  up  the  capacity  necessary  to 
implement  and  enforce  the  acquis  in  each  area  covered  by  this  chapter,  with  particular 
focus  on  the  need  to  provide  specialised  training  for  law  enforcement  bodies,  judges, 
prosecutors and customs officials.  

–  Develop  public  awareness  campaigns  and  improve  cooperation  among  law  enforcement 

bodies and between all relevant stakeholders. 

Chapter 8: Competition policy 

–  Establish  a  credible  enforcement  record  in  the  area  of  anti-trust  and  focus  on  the  most 

serious infringements of competition law. 

–  Establish effective ex-ante control of state aid. 

–  Strengthen  the  administrative  capacity  of  the  Commission  for  Protection  of  Competition 

and provide the adequate budget and staff. 

Chapter 9: Financial services 

–  Reinforce  the  legislation  and  the  supervisory  framework,  including  enforcement,  for  the 

financial sector, in particular for the insurance sector and securities markets. 

–  Ensure the independent supervisory authority for the insurance sector becomes operational 

and is properly staffed. 

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Chapter 10: Information society and media 

–  End  the  breach  of  the  Stabilisation  and  Association  Agreement  by  taking  all  necessary 
measures  to  fulfil  the  obligation  to  liberalise  the  electronic  communications  sector, 
including adoption of all the secondary legislation required and further strengthening of the 
regulatory bodies. 

–  Enforce competitive safeguards for operators with significant market power.  

–  Reinforce  the  independence  and  administrative  capacity  of  the  regulatory  authorities  for 

electronic communications and media. 

–  Ensure a stable and sustainable source of funding for the public service broadcaster and the 

Broadcasting Council. 

Chapter 11: Agriculture and rural development 

–  Speed up the registration of agricultural land in the real estate cadastre.  

–  Ensure collection and processing of sound and reliable agricultural data.  

–  Continue  preparations  to  establish  effective  and  financially  sound  paying  bodies  for  the 
management  and  control  of  agricultural  funds,  in  line  with  EU  requirements  and 
international auditing standards. 

Chapter 12: Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy 

–  Continue  to  align  legislation  with  the  veterinary  and  phytosanitary  acquis,  focusing  on 

framework legislation compatible with the acquis. 

–  Continue to reinforce the capacity of the veterinary service at both central and local levels 
in order to put in place an EU-compatible control system, particularly for import controls. 

–  Ensure the operational character of the system for identification of bovines and registration 

of their movements and start a system of identification of pigs, sheep and goats. 

–  Further align animal disease and animal health control systems with the EU legislative and 

institutional requirements and the contingency plans for notifiable diseases. 

–  Assess the compliance of agri-food establishments with EU requirements, which will serve 

as a basis for a future upgrading plan of those establishments. 

Chapter 14: Transport policy 

–  Continue  implementation  of  the  Memorandum  of  Understanding  on  the  Development  of 
the South East Europe Core Regional Transport Network and strengthen cooperation with 
the South East Europe Transport Observatory.  

–  Pursue alignment with the road transport acquis, notably on transport of dangerous goods, 
access  to  the  market,  social  conditions,  implementation  of  the  digital  tachograph  and 
improvement of road safety.  

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–  In  the  rail  sector,  establish  a  regulatory  body  that  is  independent  of  the  infrastructure 
manager  and  railway  undertakings,  establish  a  safety  authority  responsible  for  issuing 
safety certificates and align legislation with the EU rules on transport of dangerous goods 
by  rail.  Ensure  financial  stability  by  compensating  for  public  service  obligations  in 
passenger transport and reducing debts.  

–   Implement commitments taken under the first transitional phase of the European Common 
Aviation Area Agreement including the implementation of the relevant aviation legislation. 

–  Strengthen the administrative capacity of the civil aviation authority. 

Chapter 15: Energy 

–  Continue  to  align  the  legislation  on  the  internal  electricity  and  gas  markets,  energy 
efficiency and renewable energy sources with the acquis in order gradually to open up the 
energy market to competition. 

–  Continue to strengthen the independence of the Energy Regulatory Commission. 

–  Fulfil  the  obligations  arising  from  the  Energy  Community  Treaty  as  regards  the  full 
implementation of the acquis on the internal gas and electricity market and on cross border 
exchanges in electricity. 

–  Enhance administrative capacity in all energy sectors. including the Energy Agency in the 

area of energy efficiency and renewable energy resources. 

–  Construct an appropriate storage facility for radioactive materials. 

–  Ensure the proper and independent functioning of the Radiation Safety Directorate. 

Chapter 16: Taxation 

–  Increase  the  administrative  capacity  to  implement  tax  legislation  and  to  fight  fiscal 

evasion. 

–  Take structural measures urgently to reform control policy and improve control capacity. 

–  Develop an audit strategy and adequate IT systems. 

–  Commit to the principles of the Code of Conduct for business taxation and ensure that new 

tax measures comply with them. 

Chapter 18: Statistics 

–  Strengthen the capacity of the State Statistical Office to ensure timely implementation of 
the next population census and to allow continuous development of national accounts and 
their  underlying  statistics;  in  particular,  address  remaining  gaps  in  collection  and 
processing  of  agricultural  statistics  and  business  statistics  in  line  with  EU  standards  and 
methodology and increase reporting of statistical data to Eurostat. 

–  Finalise  establishment  of  the  statistical  business  register  and  farm  register,  including 

routines to ensure that the registers contain up-to-date information.  

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Chapter 19: Employment and social policies 

–  Continue  transposition  of  the  acquis  and  strengthen  the  related  administrative  and 

enforcement structures, including the Labour Inspectorate. 

–  Ensure administrative capacity to implement social inclusion and social protection policies.  

–  Ensure a functioning and representative social dialogue. 

–  Take further efforts improve the situation of persons with disabilities. 

Chapter 20: Enterprise and industrial policy 

–  Define and implement an industrial strategy conducive to growth and innovation. 

–  Introduce systematic assessment of the impact of new regulations on enterprises. 

–  Strengthen  resources  of  the  SME  department  and  the  SME  Agency  and  ensure 
implementation  of  SME  strategy  and  Action  Plan  and  the  European  Charter  for  Small 
Enterprises. 

–  Continue  work  on  regulatory  simplification,  "regulatory  guillotine"  and  reduction  of 

bureaucratic barriers to doing business; introduce regulatory impact assessments. 

Chapter 22: Regional policy and coordination of structural instruments 

–  Reinforce  the  establishment  of  institutional  structures  and  strengthen  administrative 
capacity  in  the  areas  of  programming,  project  preparation,  monitoring,  evaluation  and 
financial management and control, particularly at the lever of line ministries, to implement 
EU pre-accession programmes as a preparation for the implementation of the Community's 
cohesion policy. 

–  Finalise the national regional development strategy. 

Chapter 23: Judiciary and fundamental rights  

–  Implement  the  national  law  on  personal  data  protection.  Sign  and  ratify  the  additional 
protocol to the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard 
to  Automatic  Processing  of  Personal  data  regarding  supervisory  authorities  and  trans-
border data flow. 

–  See for other priorities the section on political criteria. 

Chapter 24: Justice, freedom and security 

–  Continue  to  implement  the  integrated  border  management  action  plan,  develop  the  main 
databases for border management and ensure that they are connected, upgrade equipment 
for  document  analysis  and  border  surveillance,  introduce  high-quality  travel  and  identity 
documents and provide further training for staff. 

–  Provide adequate funding and training for implementation of the police reform, strengthen 
coordination and cooperation both among police bodies and between the police and other 
law enforcement agencies and strengthen cooperation between the criminal police and the 
public prosecutors. 

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–  Develop  and  implement  a  comprehensive  human  resources  and  training  strategy  for  the 

police and upgrade their equipment. 

–  Further intensify the fight against organised crime, notably by making better use of special 
investigative  measures  and  by  promptly  issuing  and  following  up  international  arrest 
warrants  (including  for  computer  crime,  with  a  special  focus  on  child  pornography),  and 
create an integrated intelligence system for inter-agency use in the fight against organised 
crime, including trafficking in human beings, arms and drugs.  

–  Strengthen efforts to implement the national action plan to combat human trafficking and 

the capacity to investigate computer crime. 

–  Implement  the  EC/  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia  readmission  agreement  and 

negotiate readmission agreements with the countries of origin of transiting migrants. 

–  Intensify the process of introduction of legal instruments guaranteeing the rights of persons 

in need of (international) protection.  

–  Ensure alignment of asylum and aliens acts with the relevant acquis. 

Chapter 25: Science and research 

–  Strengthen research and technological development capacity in order to ensure successful 

participation in the Community framework programmes.  

–  Start  designing  an  integrated  research  policy  and  take  actions  to  integrate  into  the 

European Research Area. 

Chapter 26: Education and Culture 

–  Complete the legislative and administrative framework for the management of the Lifelong 

Learning and Youth in Action programmes and strengthen the implementing bodies. 

Chapter 27: Environment 

–  Continue  legislative  alignment  with  the  acquis,  in  particular  in  the  fields  of  air  quality, 
waste  management  and  water  quality,  and  improve  significantly  implementation  of 
legislation and environmental monitoring. 

–  Strengthen  the  Environmental  Inspectorate  and  other  enforcement  bodies,  establish  a 
credible  enforcement  record  and  ensure  that  fines  and  other  sanctions  are  effectively 
applied and have a dissuasive effect. 

–  Strengthen  administrative  capacity  at  national  and  local  levels  and  improve  coordination 

between administrative bodies in charge of environment-related issues. 

–  Prepare  strategic  plans,  including  financial  strategies,  and  prepare  a  national  waste 

management strategy and waste management plan. 

–  Develop an environmental investment strategy based on estimates of the cost of alignment. 

–  Integrate  environmental  protection  requirements  into  other  sectoral  policies,  in  particular 

by developing environmental impact assessments. 

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–  Increase  investments  in  environmental  infrastructure,  with  particular  emphasis  on  waste 
water  collection  and  treatment,  drinking  water  supply,  tackling  air  pollution  and  waste 
management. 

Chapter 29: Customs union 

–  Increase administrative capacity to implement customs legislation and to fight cross-border 

crime. 

–  Further approximate legislation and procedures to the acquis, in particular in the areas of 

transit and allocation of tariff quotas.  

–  Align the Law on technological/industrial development zones with the acquis. 

Chapter 31: Foreign, security and defence policy 

–  Implement  the  legislation  for  enforcement  of  the  common  position  in  the  field  of 

international restrictive measures. 

Chapter 32: Financial control 

–  Review the public internal financial control (PIFC) policy paper and present laws on PIFC 
and  internal  audit,  in  order  to  make  both  the  PIFC  policies  and  current  legislation 
comprehensive  and  consistent,  and  update  the  action  plan  for  implementation  of  the 
medium-term priorities related to PIFC. 

–  Complete  the  establishment  of  internal  audit  units  in  central  state  institutions,  create 
similar units at municipal level where appropriate and ensure adequate staff, training and 
equipment. 

–  Develop  efficient  management,  monitoring,  control  and  audit  systems  necessary  for 
decentralised implementation of programmes under the EU pre-accession instruments. 

–  Enhance the operational and financial independence of the State Audit Office and ensure 

follow-up to the findings in its reports. 

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3.2.  Medium-term priorities 

Political criteria 

Democracy and the rule of law 

Government 

–  Complete the decentralisation process. 

Public administration 

–  Further  develop  the  capacity  of  the  administration  to  implement  the  Stabilisation  and 

Association Agreement. 

Anti-corruption policy 

–  Complete the implementation of the strategy to fight corruption. 

–  Enforce  regulations  related  to  the  prevention  of  conflict  of  interests,  in  line  with 

international standards. 

Human rights and protection of minorities 

–  Further  promote  respect  for  human  rights  by  law  enforcement  bodies  and  in  detention 

centres and prisons. 

–  Further implement the strategy on equitable representation of non-majority communities. 

Regional issues and international obligations 

–  Promote regional dialogue, stability, good neighbourliness and cooperation. 

Economic criteria 

–  Step  up  efforts  to  safeguard  the  sustainability  of  the  electricity  market,  in  view  of  the 
country’s  commitments  to  liberalisation,  by  eliminating  existing  distortions  due  to  non-
cost-recovery  prices  and  by  strengthening  the  regulatory  institutions  and  the  physical 
infrastructure. 

–  Raise  the  quality  of  public  spending  by  strengthening  the  public  sector's  capacity  for 
medium-term  planning  and  improving  the  budgetary  execution.Continue  to  improve  the 
quality  of  education,  by  providing  the  follow-up  funding  for  infrastructure  and  staffing 
necessary to implement thoroughly recent reforms in the education sector. 

–  Continue  to  improve  the  labour  market  performance  and  to  reduce  unemployment,  in 
particular  by  taking  additional  measures  to  address  youth  and  long-term  unemployment 
and by modernising the social security and educational system. 

–  Continue efforts to integrate the informal sector into the formal economy. 

–  Upgrade  the  country’s  infrastructure,  in  particular  for  energy  and  transport,  in  order  to 

strengthen the competitiveness of the economy at large. 

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Ability to assume the obligations of membership 

Chapter 1: Free movement of goods 

–  Develop a market surveillance structure in line with the acquis. 

Chapter 3: Right of establishment and freedom to provide services 

–  Align  with  the  EU  acquis  on  mutual  recognition  of  professional  qualifications,  including 

training provisions, and develop the required administrative structures. 

–  Align with the postal services acquis, including establishment of an independent national 

regulatory authority. 

Chapter 5: Public procurement 

–  Achieve  fully  operational  public  procurement  structures  which  ensure  that  public 
procurement procedures are conducted fully in accordance with the EC standards. Develop 
e-procurement. 

Chapter 7: Intellectual property law 

–  Build up the capacity necessary to implement and enforce the acquis in each area covered 
by this chapter and establish a satisfactory track record on investigation, prosecution and 
judicial handling of piracy and counterfeiting. 

Chapter 8: Competition policy  

–  Further align the legislation with the EU anti-trust and state aid acquis. 

–  Further improve the enforcement record in the areas of anti-trust and state aid control. 

–  Increase awareness among government institutions, business and the general public. 

Chapter 9: Financial services 

–  Establish a credible enforcement record on combating uninsured driving. 

–  Further align with EU legislation in financial services. 

Chapter 11: Agriculture and rural development 

–  Upgrade  the  capacity  of  the  agricultural  administration  and  complete  preparations  for 
enforcement  and  practical  application  of  the  management  mechanisms  of  the  common 
agricultural policy, in particular the integrated administration and control system (IACS), 
and ensure a functioning land parcel identification system (LPIS). 

Chapter 12: Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy 

–  Further  align  the  legislation  with  the  acquis  regarding  transmissible  spongiform 
encephalopathies  (TSE)  and  animal  by-products,  implement  and  control  its  enforcement 
and set up the necessary collection and treatment system. 

–  Establish  a  properly  staffed  plant  health  authority.  Further  align  the  phytosanitary 

legislation with the acquis. 

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–  Adopt a plan for the upgrading of agri-food establishments and start its implementation. 

–  Strengthen the laboratory capacity in the food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary domain. 

Chapter 14: Transport policy 

–  Continue to work towards complete alignment with the acquis in the area of road transport 
(including  the  implementation  of  the  digital  tachograph),  continue  alignment  with  the 
railway  acquis  (first  and  second  railway  packages  and  interoperability),  achieve  full 
alignment  with  the  aviation  legislation  and  ensure  vigorous  enforcement  of  the 
corresponding legislation.  

–  Implement  commitments  taken  under  the  second  transitional  phase  of  the  European 

Common Aviation Area Agreement.  

Chapter 17: Economic and monetary policy 

–  Align the legal framework in order to ensure full central bank independence. 

Chapter 18: Statistics 

–  Further develop all areas of statistics, achieve full harmonisation in key areas in terms of 
frequency,  scope,  classifications,  timeliness  and  quality  and  put  in  place  a  uniform 
management and production system. 

–  Put in place a well coordinated national statistical system. 

Chapter 19: Employment and social policies 

–  Develop permanent mechanism for social dialogue.  

–  Develop  long  term  social  inclusion  policies  and  enhance  access  to  the  labour  market  of 

vulnerable groups.  

–  Further enhance social protection policies. 

–  Develop mechanisms to monitor the situation of persons with disabilities. 

Chapter 20: Enterprise and industrial policy 

–  Further develop support mechanisms for SMEs and improve access for SMEs to financial 
services- Define and implement an industrial strategy conducive to growth and innovation. 

–  Consider strategy development on the mainstreaming of entrepreneurship education based 

on successful donor supported pilot projects .  

Chapter 22: Regional policy and coordination of structural instruments 

–  Strengthen  at  central  level  and  develop  at  regional  and  local  level  the  administrative 
capacity  Ensure  a  clear  distribution  of  responsibilities  and  strengthen  capacity  of 
coordination  between  designated  implementing  authorities/structures  including  local 
authorities. 

Chapter 24: Justice, freedom and security 

–  Ensure alignment with the relevant acquis in the area of asylum and immigration. 

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Chapter 25: Science and research 

–  Apply an integrated research policy.  

Chapter 26: Education and Culture 

–  Continue efforts to improve the quality of education, including primary education, and to 
create  a  modern  vocational  education  and  training  system  and  a  higher  education  sector 
linked with the labour market and economic needs and promoting of regional cooperation 
in the field of higher education. 

Chapter 27: Environment 

–  Continue to integrate environmental protection requirements into other sectoral policies, in 

particular by developing environmental impact assessments. 

–  Further increase investments in environmental infrastructure, with particular emphasis on 
waste  water  collection  and  treatment,  drinking  water  supply,  tackling  air  pollution  and 
waste management. 

Chapter 28: Consumer and health protection 

–  Complete alignment with the EU acquis in the field of consumer protection and strengthen 

the administrative capacity needed for effective market surveillance. 

–  Continue  alignment  with  the  EU  acquis  in  the  field  of  public  health  policy,  more 
specifically  in  the  fields  of  tobacco,  blood,  tissues  and  cells  and  communicable  diseases. 
Strengthen  the  institutional,  administrative  and  financial  capacity  in  the  field  of  public 
health. 

–  In  the  area  of  mental  health,  develop  community-based  services  as  an  alternative  to 
institutionalisation, and ensure allocation of sufficient financial resources for mental health 
care. 

Chapter 31: Foreign, security and defence policy 

–  Bring  the  agreement  concluded  with  the  USA  regarding  the  conditions  of  surrender  of 
people to the International Criminal Court into line with the EU guiding principles adopted 
by the European Council in September 2002. 

Chapter 32: Financial control 

–  Further  develop  and  implement  the  EU’s  public  internal  financial  control  (PIFC)  model 
(decentralised  managerial  accountability  and  functionally  independent  internal  audit)  by 
means of coherent legislation and adequate institutional capacity under the guidance of the 
Ministry of Financial Affairs. 

–  Further strengthen the operational capacity and the functional and financial independence 

of the State Audit Office. 

–  Implement  procedures  and  administrative  capacity  to  ensure  effective  protection  of  the 

EC’s financial interests. 

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4. 

PROGRAMMING 

Community assistance under the stabilisation and association process to the Western Balkan 
countries will  be provided under the existing financial instruments, in  particular  by  Council 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1085/2006  (IPA),  and  for  programmes  adopted  before  2007,  Council 
Regulation  No  2666/2000  of  5  December  2000  (CARDS  regulation)5.  The  financing 
agreements  serve  as  legal  basis  for  the  implementation  of  the  concrete  programmes. 
Accordingly,  this  Decision  will  have  no  financial  implications.  The  former  Yugoslav 
Republic  of  Macedonia  can  have  access  to  funding  from  multi-country  and  horizontal 
programmes. 

5. 

CONDITIONALITY 

Assistance  to  the  Western  Balkan  countries  is  conditional  on  progress  on  satisfying  the 
Copenhagen  criteria  and  on  meeting  the  requirements  of  the  Stabilisation  and  Association 
Agreement  and  the  specific  priorities  of  this Accession  Partnership.  Failure  to  respect  these 
conditions could lead the Council to take appropriate measures on the basis of Article 21 of 
Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 or, in the case of pre-2007 programmes, on the basis 
of Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 2666/2000. The assistance is also subject to the conditions 
defined  by  the  Council  in  its  conclusions  of  29 April  1997,  in  particular  as  regards  the 
recipients’ undertaking to carry out democratic, economic and institutional reforms. Specific 
conditions are also included in individual annual programmes. The financing decisions will be 
followed by a financing agreement signed with the Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. 

6. 

MONITORING 

Implementation of the Accession Partnership will be examined by the mechanisms established 
under the Stabilisation and Association Process, notably the annual reports presented by the 
Commission. 

5 

OJ L 306, 7.12.2000, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2112/2005 (OJ L 344, 
27.12.2005, p. 23). 

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