The state run MIA news agency reported excerpts from the European Commission progress report on Macedonia, which is due to be published later today.

According to MIA, the report is widely positive for the Government, praising its continued implementation of the treaties with Greece and Bulgaria, on which Macedonia’s opening of accession talks depends. The report will also welcome the continued engagement of the opposition parties in the political process and their support for the EU reforms and NATO membership.

One area of criticism, MIA reports, is the “debacle” involving the Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva. She was supposed to be the face of rule of law reforms in Macedonia, but was instead sentenced in a massive corruption scandal earlier this year. The report also condemns the use of the expedited legislative procedure, put in place to help Macedonia quickly adopt laws relevant to the EU integration, for matters that have no relation to the EU agenda. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev famously tried to use the procedure to further relax marijuana laws in a way that would benefit his own marijuana business.

Mickoski: The same day Zaev went to Brussels to lobby for EU, law on marijuana trade for Zaev’s businesses reached Parliament

The EC report is also expected to be critical of public administration reforms, where Macedonia is found to be just “moderately prepared” to assume the obligations of EU membership. The report also notes that corruption is all-present in many areas and that an active approach is needed to combat it. The collapse of the anti-discrimination law, that was adopted but then nullified because of a procedural error, is seen as a serious omission.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi is expected to visit Macedonia on Wednesday to discuss the report. The Commission will also publish an investment plan for the Western Balkan countries worth nine billion EUR that will rest on digital transition and implementation of environmental programs. The plan will include funds for reducing carbon emissions, protect biodiversity and reduce pollution. A separate, 20 billion EUR plan, would put in place financial guarantees needed to build infrastructure investments in the region.