Besimi and Deputy Prime Minister Kaag signed a memorandum of cooperation between RSM and the Netherlands on strengthening public finances
The memorandum on bilateral cooperation in the field of public finance in the period 2023-2026, between the ministries of finance of the Republic of North Macedonia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was signed by the Minister of Finance Fatmir Besimi and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Netherlands, Sigrid Kaag, on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the IMF constituency and of the World Bank, held in Sarajevo. The purpose of this Memorandum is the further transfer of experience and practice between the two ministries in building a modern public finance system.
The multi-year successful cooperation between the two ministries has resulted in a large number of programs and projects for the improvement of various public finance functions. The new Memorandum of Cooperation confirms the further path of financial and technical support of the Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Finance of North Macedonia. The specific cooperation program will be adjusted on an annual basis.
One of the most significant projects so far is the twinning project for "Strengthening budget planning, implementation and internal control". As part of this twinning project, technical support was provided for the implementation of the new systemic Law on Budgets. It is important to mention the support for reforms in the system of public internal financial control, as well as the harmonization of legislation on public procurement with European legislation. As part of the cooperation so far, the experience of the National Academy of Economics and Finance from the Netherlands has been transferred in the direction of building the Academy of Public Finance in the country, which will be a significant support in the further improvement of administrative capacities.
In this year's program of cooperation between the two ministries, several spheres of cooperation were represented, such as public internal control, green bonds - exchange of experience and knowledge, taxation of transfers according to BEPS, etc. Topics of interest in the next cooperation would be public internal financial control, financial education and inclusion, improving the efficiency of tax administration and protection against tax evasion.
At the meeting between Minister Besimi and Deputy Prime Minister Kaag, they discussed the country's progress in the process of European integration, the economic situation in the country and Europe, as well as projections and measures for dealing with current challenges.