Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Press statement on the occasion of the ratification of the Memorandum of Understanding
Distinguished Deputy State Secretary on Foreign Affairs of Switzerland,
Distinguished Ambassador,
Distinguished Representatives of the Media,
It is my sincere pleasure to inform the public on the ratification of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Republic of Macedonia and Switzerland, represented by the Embassy of Switzerland and the Swiss Agency on Development and Cooperation.
The Project “Program for Support of the Parliament” aims to provide more efficient and inclusive functioning of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, as well as overall institutional strengthening, promotion of the legislative and oversight role and providing appropriate access to the work of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia for the citizens, civil organizations, especially marginalized groups, through increased transparency and accountability. The Project shall last from 1 July 2018 until 31 December 2029.
This Memorandum shall provide technical and institutional support of the Assembly’s efforts to adopt better laws and improve the usage of the public resources for the needs of the citizens.
According to the planned dynamics, the preparatory phase of the project shall start on 1 July 2018 finalizing on 31 April 2019 and includes donation of 350,000 Swiss Francs, while in the next 11 years the overall donation to the Assembly would be around 11 million Swiss Francs. The overall project shall be followed by Steering Council and Advisory Board.
The ratification of this Memorandum is another confirmation of the efforts of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia in direction of strengthening the role and the capacities of the Assembly, promotion of the rule of law and achieving the working standards and results of the EU Member States’ Parliament.