President Stevo Pendarovski met on Wednesday with European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, who handed him the European Commission’s 2020 Report on North Macedonia.

Participants, the President’s Office said in a press release, also discussed at the meeting key findings published in the report.

President Pendarovski thanked Commissioner Várhelyi for firmly supporting EU enlargement and Western Balkans’ aspirations.

He stressed that the report provides a detailed overview of the situation in the country and the level of implementation of reforms.

According to the President, the Commission’s Report provides an impetus for further intensifying the reform agenda in all areas outlined in the document and is a step towards formal start of accession talks by the end of the year, during Germany’s EU presidency.

Moreover, President Pendarovski also commended at the meeting the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, which aims to stimulate the long-term economic recovery of the region, hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to accelerate EU integration.

The plan, Pendarovski noted, confirms that the future of the entire region is in the European Union, with Brussels making the region as its geostrategic priority.