Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management: With the support of the EU and Croatia, the project for the promotion of fisheries and aquaculture has been successfully completed

The project is financed by the European Union and is implemented in cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia - Directorate for Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of North Macedonia as the main beneficiary of the project. The value of the project is 250,000.00 euros, and its implementation began on 9 May 2022, with a duration of 10 months.

The aim of the project was to strengthen the capacities of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and other relevant institutions in terms of harmonizing the legal framework in the field of market regulation and structural activities in fisheries and aquaculture with EU law.

The project prepared a new Law on Financial Support in Fisheries and Aquaculture and seven rulebooks arising from it, as well as other by-laws. All are in line with European regulations, which was the goal of the project.

"The value of the project is 250,000.00 euros, but the real value of the project is much higher. What I want to emphasize is that the benefits of the project are significant not only for the MAFWM, but also for the entire country, because with the results of the project we are taking a step forward in harmonizing our legislation with the EU legislation for Chapter 13 - Fisheries, and thus a step forward towards our strategic goal - membership in the European Union", said Minister Nikolovski.

Additionally, through cooperation and activities during the project, administrative capacities have been improved, and inspection services have acquired skills that will enable them to better face challenges and more successfully perform their tasks in the future.

The representative of the EU Delegation to Macedonia, Stefan Hudolin, emphasized that he was satisfied with the achieved results and indicated that EU support continues for many other projects and activities of the ministry.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia, Nives Tiganj, emphasized that the two countries have excellent bilateral cooperation and that such projects contribute to even greater joint successes.

Minister Nikolovski expressed his gratitude to the European Delegation and the Republic of Croatia, as well as to the entire team that participated in the implementation of the project, which achieved the harmonization of legislation in the field of market policy and structural activities for fisheries and aquaculture in the Republic of North Macedonia with European Union regulations.