Companies from Western Balkan countries note progress in the implementation of European standards and harmonization with the European Union Acquis, show results of the Partners for acquis compliance and energy efficiency (PACE) project.

The project, realized in the framework of the IPA programme for socio-economic partnership through an EU grant amounting to EUR 457,000, is implemented through business chambers in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, in partnership with the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry - Eurochambres in 300 micro, small and medium enterprises in the field of electrical environment, health & safety at work, chemical products, foodstuffs and technical harmonisation, 30 of which Macedonian.

Most of regional companies surveyed (45 percent) showed high compliance with EU standards, 37 percent had small, while 18 had serious difficulties.

"In the framework of the vertical i.e. sectoral harmonization, 57 percent of surveyed companies showed high compliance, 24 percent small, while 19 percent serious problems. An overwhelming majority (93 percent) of Macedonian companies did not face difficulties in harmonization, whereas only seven percent coped with small difficulties", said Biljana Peeva-Djuric from the Economic Chamber of Macedonia at Monday's press conference.

At a horizontal level, i.e. fields of health & safety at work and environment, regional compliance stands at 37 percent.

"With regards to the two criteria, Croatian companies are most harmonized with 82 percent, followed by Serbian (66 percent), and Macedonian (42 percent)", added Peeva-Djuric.

The survey shows that companies need state support for horizontal harmonization, i.e. meeting European requirements in the fields of environment and health & safety at work, as well as improvement of energy efficiency of their facilities - criteria that are most significant in the EU approximation process.