Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European Affairs Bojan Mariciк, as a guest at the  Morning briefing, spoke of the course of negotiations with our neighbour Bulgaria, the EU economic support for dealing with the crisis, as well as the prospects of the country's European integration process in general.

Regarding the negotiations with Bulgaria, Deputy Prime Minister Maricik said that the process is not tied to dates, but that if a solution is not reached soon, the patience of both sides will certainly be reduced and the enthusiasm for a solution as well, commenting on Bulgaria's thesis that the dispute can be resolved for decades, which according to him is unrealistic, nor can the process of European integration look like that and last a hundred years, or have the effect of changing identity.

- We know who we are and we know that a nation can not be created by a decision, nor can it be erased by a decision, nor can that be the goal in the 21st century, in 2022, so we insisted on a dignified solution and so far during the talks, said Deputy Prime Minister Maricik.

Maricik emphasized that they would not give up on EU membership, give up on reforms, or the desire for North Macedonia to be a member of the EU and a European country by all standards.

- That is the agenda that this Government will never give up. This does not mean that we are ready for any solution, a solution that would violate our dignity, identity, and our interests, said the Deputy Prime Minister, adding that they want to continue talks with Bulgaria in a friendly direction, to find a solution, and remove the veto.

Regarding the crises that occurred in the first 100 days of this Government, Deputy Prime Minister Maricik said that the Government is making efforts with huge budget funds to mitigate the effects of all crises, noting that concrete steps have already been taken, i.e. pensions have been increased, the minimum wage has been raised, and currently, there are ongoing negotiations on finding solutions to raise wages in several sectors, while in parallel there are talks on gas imports as well as the provision of basic foodstuffs.

In this context, he informed on the support that the country will receive from the EU to a significant extent, to deal with the consequences of the crisis and normalize domestic economic flows

- We are working on a macro-financial assistance plan, we are already programming the funds for 2023. We have received a serious economic package from the European Commission for the economic development of the region, the green agenda, and gasification. These are all strategic movements that include us in the European system. In fact, with the gas supply, North Macedonia and the countries of the Western Balkans are included in the gas supply package of the EU member states, said Maricik.