The Joint Commission reviewed the current economic situation and bilateral cooperation between the two countries, as well as opportunities to strengthen collaboration in key areas. The last, 11st session of the Joint Commission, was held in Ljubljana on 9 and 10 May 2018.

The first part of the meeting was focused on prospective areas of economic cooperation between Slovenia and North Macedonia within the framework of individual working groups. Guidelines were adopted to develop and bolster cooperation between the two countries. Representatives of the Slovenian Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and Ministry of Public Administration, together with representatives of competent departments of North Macedonia, coordinated future activities in the fields of internationalisation and tourism, transport, energy, environment and spatial planning, and agriculture.

The meeting was followed by a plenary session of the Joint Commission chaired by State Secretaries Raščan and Cekić-Durović. They discussed bilateral economic cooperation in trade, services, investments and other important topics.  They also exchanged recent data and forecasts of the macroeconomic situation in both countries, in particular with regard to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The State Secretaries agreed that bilateral economic relations between the two countries are very good and advocated upgrading. The participants then summarised the working groups’ arrangements and identified opportunities to enhance future cooperation with a special emphasis on tourism, energy and agriculture. State Secretaries Raščan and Cekić-Durović reviewed the final Protocol of the 12nd Session of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation. As the meeting was held virtually, the Protocol will be signed by correspondence.