The Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European Affairs and National IPA Coordinator, Bojan Marichic co-chaired the IPA Joint Monitoring Committee today, which is the highest body within the framework of IPA funds usage, together with Michela Matuella, Acting Director at the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations within the European Commission. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the European Commission, David Geer as the Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of North Macedonia, IPA structure, donors and civil society organisations. Representatives of EU member states were also present at the meeting for the first time this year.

In that sense, the National IPA Coordinator Marichic added that the IPARD II programme is a historic success since the available funds will be entirely used thus laying down the foundation for budget increase within the IPARD II Programme.

The need to build the institutional capacities of the IPARD structure was also emphasised at the meeting, mainly through the activities of the SEP Training Centre. In addition to the overall implementation of IPA, the administrative capacities for IPA implementation within the indirect system, and the implementation of the more significant infrastructural projects in the environmental and transport sectors, the meeting was also used to discuss the projects pertaining to education, employment, agriculture, rule of law, democracy and governance etc. The objective of this forum is to review IPA implementation, which convenes once a year. 

The Committee meeting was held online due to the COVID -19 pandemic. Joint conclusions were adopted at the meeting which are expected to contribute towards the resolution of the identified weaknesses of the system. The Secretariat for European Affairs and the National IPA Coordinator will regularly monitor the realisation of these conclusions and recommendations.