Macedonian parliament passes law on political parties

SKOPJE, Macedonia

Parliament approved amendments Tuesday (July 28th) to the law on financing political parties, a precondition for accelerating the country’s EU integration process. The measure, which was passed without debate, is aimed at boosting control over and the transparency of party funding. Lawmakers must pass two more pieces of legislation — on parliament itself and on public servants, by this fall, when the European Commission (EC) is expected to publish its next progress report on Macedonia. Skopje hopes to get a firm date for starting its EU accession talks, but the EC has warned this will happen only if Macedonia fulfils all benchmarks.