Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Economy, Ljupcho Nikolovski, convened with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Stasa Kosarac, during the annual meeting of agriculture and rural development ministers in Southeast Europe held on Tuesday in Jahorina.

According to an official statement, Minister Nikolovski proudly announced North Macedonia’s leadership in effectively utilizing the funds from the IPARD 2 program, achieving a flawless 100% implementation rate. Notably, Macedonia took the initiative by becoming the first in the region to embark on the implementation of the new IPARD 3 program starting this September. Minister Nikolovski also highlighted the European Union’s recognition of Macedonia’s IPARD success, with a substantial 62% increase in funding, providing 97 million euros in European funds for the new IPARD 3 program.

During the meeting, both ministers reached an agreement for an official visit by Minister Kosarac to Macedonia in the near future, aimed at sharing experiences and improving the implementation of the IPARD program. The press release stressed the importance of robust regional cooperation in facilitating the European integration of the countries in the region, underlining that trade within the member nations of the Open Balkan initiative had reached an impressive 1.1 billion euros through this collaboration.

Minister Nikolovski also expressed his optimism regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina’s potential inclusion in the Open Balkan Initiative, emphasizing the vital role of mutual support as the sole means to advance collectively in the realm of agriculture and regional development.