Economy Minister Valon Saraqini takes part Wednesday at the 5. CEFTA Joint Committee session in Paris, chaired by the Republic of Kosovo.

Minister Saraqini presented Macedonia's efforts in implementation of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), which should facilitate the country's path to EU accession negotiations, as well as achievements with regards to business climate.

"This is demonstrated through Macedonia's recent ranking at the World Bank's Doing Business list (22) and the third spot as the world's top reformer. The latest European Commission report represents another confirmation that the country is successfully coping with challenges of the current global economic situation", said Saraqini.

He stressed that CEFTA countries represent a significant trading partner for the Republic of Macedonia, whereas exchange with these states in 2011 amounted to approximately 28 percent of Macedonia's total trade exchange.

Saraqini informed that Macedonia ratified the Additional Protocol for agriculture liberalization in September, followed by its enforcement with Albania and Croatia as of November.

The Economy Minister also stressed the positive aspect of the Multilateral Monitoring Framework over the elimination of non-tariff barriers, a project implemented by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), aimed at establishing a system for regular identification of non-tariff barriers.