##ries of this project, will jointly succeed in doing so. i am also convinced due to the successful cooperation between the two institutions so far, which was proved as very effective in preventing the occurrence and spreading of counterfeit money in the territory of our country, and because of our readiness to continue to tackle the challenges in this segment of our work in future, as well. the commitment of the national bank to move safely along the way to the european system of central banks, constantly following european standards and practices and promoting all segments of its operations, is one of the main strategic goals. that ’ s why i assure you that with the same level of professionalism and commitment that we approach other challenges, we approach also to the implementation of this project, giving our maximum contribution in the implementation of the activities that will have to follow after it is finalized. we sincerely hope that soon after the country ’ s admission to the eu, the integrity of the euro will be protected along with the integrity of the domestic currency. actually, that is the reason that the law on the national bank already incorporates provisions that regulate the tasks and powers of our institution from the date of our country ’ s accession to the european union, as well as the tasks and powers that we will have after the introduction of the euro as a national currency. 1 / 2 bis central bankers'speeches hence, this project and its success are perceived as a long - term key investment in a significant segment of our operations. in the long run, this project will simultaneously be an investment for improving the operations not only of the national bank and the ministry of interior, but indirectly also of other institutions that are actively involved in the system for fighting counterfeiting money : the customs administration, the financial police office of the ministry of finance, the public prosecution office and the judicial authorities. i believe that after the implementation of this project, our interinstitutional cooperation in the field of monitoring and prevention of counterfeiting banknotes and coins will be further developed. i believe that very soon after the completion of the project activities, we will jointly state and announce that our national system for fighting counterfeit is at a higher level, compatible with the systems of the eu member states. at the end of my speech, i would like to emphasize that i am pleased that our twinning partners in this project are two older eu member states – germany and austria. having in mind that they are direct participants in policy making, overcoming all the challenges associated with the

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