Fadilj Bajrami: ECB regional cooperation programme with central banks in the Western Balkans Address by Mr Fadilj Bajrami, Vice Governor of the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, on the occasion of the third Programme Steering Committee Meeting of the ECB Regional Cooperation Programme with central banks in the Western Balkans, Pristina, 27 March 2015. * * * Dear Governor Hamza, Dear Deputy Governor Gjoni, Dear Mr. Fehlker, Dear Mr. Chlad, Representatives from central banks, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am glad to be here, in Pristina, with you today, on the occasion of the third and final meeting of the Steering Committee, to officially mark the successful completion of the joint cooperation programme between the ECB and the national central banks of the Eurosystem, on the one hand, and the central banks of the Western Balkans, on the other. The inclusion of the three central banks in this programme, which aims to strengthen their institutional capacity and align their operations with the central banking standards of the EU, is of enormous importance for the region, given the role of central banks in the EU accession process. Namely, this regional approach of the ECB allows raising the level of compliance with the EU standards and policies, but also creates an opportunity to advance the cooperation between the central banks in the region and the central banks of the EU. Therefore, I believe that the cooperation will continue in the same spirit and will further advance through other forms of cooperation in various central banking areas. Concerning the NBRM, it is my pleasure to emphasize that with the ECB colleagues, we have jointly established the current progress of implementation of the recommendations from the Needs Assessment of the NBRM, and defined the follow-up steps. On this occasion, let me point out that the NBRM will remain committed to the implementation of the recommendations provided in the report, bearing in mind that many of them have already been incorporated in the NBRM Strategic Plan. Hence, the further support of the ECB and the Eurosystem in terms of experience and knowledge is of immense importance, as well as the assistance of our strategic partners, with whom we hope to continue working together on the implementation of the recommendations. Eventually, allow me to express my gratitude to the ECB and other central banks of the Eurosystem involved in the programme, as well as the hosts, hoping to have future opportunities to meet at similar event. BIS central bankersâ€™ speeches