17th meeting of the SAA Subcommittee between the EU and North Macedonia on internal market, competition, consumer and health protection
The 17th meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) Subcommittee on internal market, competition, consumer and health protection between the EU and North Macedonia took place virtually on 9 February 2022. The meeting was co-chaired for the EU by Mr. Zbigniew Zach, Permanent Secretary for the Subcommittee at the Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the Commission, for North Macedonia by Ms Ardiana Abazi Ramadani, State Advisor at the Ministry of Economy.
In the area of competition policy, the Commission stressed the importance of aligning the secondary legislation with the EU acquis in the field of State aid and welcomed the efforts made by authorities on reporting of State aid decisions. On anti-trust and mergers, the Commission noted that further efforts were needed to align the secondary legislation with the EU acquis and to further develop a robust enforcement record.
On copyrights, the European Commission encouraged North Macedonia’s authorities to adopt the amendments to the Law on copyright and related rights. On industrial property rights, the authorities aim to align the legislation with the EU acquis in the area of trade secrets. The Commission welcomed North Macedonia’s international cooperation programmes.
As regards freedom to provide services, the Commission encouraged North Macedonia’s authorities to continue the review of existing regulations with a view to ensuring their compliance with the EU Services Directive. Regarding postal services, where full market opening was re-introduced as of 1 January 2022, the Commission invited North Macedonia to provide an update on the next steps in the postal reform process.
In the area of health protection, the Commission informed about new initiatives at EU level. On tobacco, the Commission called for the proper enforcement of the law on smoking and for completion of the ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It welcomed North Macedonia’s cooperation with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and encouraged the authorities to intensify efforts to publish reports on registers for cancer and individual rare diseases and to align with EU acquis in the field of patients’ right in cross-border healthcare.
On public procurement, the Commission acknowledged the efforts made by the country in the context of the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement accession and reiterated its support in this process. The Commission stressed the importance of respecting public procurement principles set out in the EU acquis. The Commission urged the authorities to adopt the legislation on Private-Public Partnership and concessions to further align with the EU Directive in this area.
On free movement of capital, the discussion focused on the increased liberalisation of capital under the second phase of the SAA. As regards the fight against money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, the implementation of existing law and preparation of a new law in this area were discussed focusing on issues such as registering beneficial ownership and asset recovery.
On financial services, the Commission encouraged the national authorities to continue to implement the EU acquis. Concerning banks and financial conglomerates, the Commission took note of the plans of the authorities to adopt a bank resolution law and enquired about prospective bylaws. On insurance, the Commission encouraged the country to adopt the legislation approximating Solvency II Directive. Finally, the Commission welcomed the planned adoption of the legislation to align with the EU acquis in the area of securities markets and investment funds.