Accession of North Macedonia to the European Union

The accession of North Macedonia to the European Union has been on the current agenda for future enlargement of the EU since 2005, when it became an official candidate for accession. The then Republic of Macedonia submitted its membership application in 2004, thirteen years after its independence from Yugoslavia. It is one of nine current EU candidate countries, together with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.

Accession of North Macedonia to the European Union
Status	Negotiating Candidate
Application Membership application 24 March 2004 Screened & negotiations commence
Negotiations Chapters closed Not yet applicable
Memberships & Treaties Association Agreement Economic and monetary policy Travel Energy Foreign and military policy North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 27 March 2020 Human rights and international courts International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Impact (27+1) Population 446,828,803 Area 4,233,262 km2 1,634,472 mi2 HDI 0.896 GDP (PPP) $25.399 trillion GDP per capita (PPP) $56,928 GDP $17.818 trillion GDP per capita $39,940 Gini 30.0 Official Languages 24 25 + 1 (Macedonian)

The use of the country name "Macedonia" was the object of a dispute with neighboring Greece between 1991 and 2019, resulting in a Greek veto against EU and NATO accession talks, which lasted from 2008 to 2019. After the issue was resolved, the EU gave its formal approval to begin accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania in March 2020.^[1]

However, in November 2020, Bulgaria effectively blocked the official start of North Macedonia's EU accession negotiations over what it perceives as slow progress on the implementation of the 2017 friendship treaty between the two countries, state-supported or tolerated hate speech and minority claims towards Bulgaria.^[2]

On 24 June 2022, Bulgaria's parliament approved lifting the country's veto on opening EU accession talks with North Macedonia. On 16 July 2022, the Assembly of North Macedonia also approved the revised French proposal, allowing accession negotiations to begin.^[3] The start of negotiations was officially launched on 19 July 2022.^[4] To make progress, however, the country must change its constitution, including local Bulgarians in it, and overcome the latent opposition of neighbouring Bulgaria.^[5][6][7]

History

See also: Yugoslavia–European Communities relations

The flags of the European Union and North Macedonia

North Macedonia began its formal process of rapprochement with the European Union in 2000, by initiating negotiations about the EU's Stabilisation and Association Process, and it became the first non-EU country in the Balkans to sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), on 9 April 2001 in Luxembourg. The agreement was ratified by the Macedonian parliament on 12 April 2001 and came into force on 1 April 2004.

On 22 March 2004, the Republic of Macedonia submitted its application for EU membership. On 6 September 2004, the Macedonian government adopted a National Strategy for European integration, supported by the country's parliament through its Commission for European Issues. The government subsequently began the procedure of answering the questionnaire of the European Commission regarding its performance in preparation for membership in accordance with the Copenhagen criteria, a process that was finished by 31 January 2005. The European Council officially granted the country candidate status on 17 December 2005, after a review and a positive recommendation of the candidacy by the European Commission.

After the naming dispute with Greece was solved in 2019, accession negotiations were expected to start within the same year, but in June 2019 the EU General Affairs Council decided to postpone the decision to October, due to objections from a number of countries including the Netherlands and France.^[8] France vetoed the decision again in October.^[9] On 25 March 2020 the Council of the European Union decided to open accession negotiations, which was endorsed by the European Council the following day.^[10][11]

On 17 November 2020 Bulgaria blocked the official start of accession talks with the country.^[12] North Macedonia was told to offer further guarantees to Bulgaria that it would honour the 2017 friendship treaty, which deals with historical issues.^[13]

Name dispute with Greece

Main articles: Macedonia naming dispute, Prespa agreement, and Greece–North Macedonia relations

A major obstacle for the accession process was the Republic's unresolved objection by Greece over its name, as Greece argued that it implied territorial ambitions towards Greece's own northern province of Macedonia. While the country preferred to be called by its constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia, the European Union, in acknowledgment of concerns raised by Greece, maintained a practice of recognising it only as the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", a compromise of "provisional reference" introduced by the United Nations in 1993. Greece, as any other EU country, has veto power against new accessions, and blocked Macedonian accession due to the naming dispute.^{[14][15][16][17]}

On 12 June 2018, an agreement was reached between Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev, known as the Prespa agreement,^[18] under which the country would be renamed the "Republic of North Macedonia".^[19] As part of this deal, Greece explicitly withdrew its previous opposition, allowing the EU to approve on 26 June 2018 a pathway to starting accession talks.^[20]

Historical and linguistic dispute with Bulgaria

Main articles: Historiography in North Macedonia, Political views on the Macedonian language, and Bulgaria–North Macedonia relations

Although Bulgaria was the first country to recognize the independence of the then Republic of Macedonia, most of its academics, as well as the general public, do not recognize the Macedonian language and nation formed after the Second World War as being separate from Bulgarian proper.^[21] As part of the efforts to find a solution to the Macedonia name dispute with Greece, the Macedonian constitution was changed twice (in 1995, and then again in 2018) to formally exclude any possible territorial aspirations towards neighboring countries.^[22][23]

Some Macedonian politicians consider Bulgarian territory to be part of a greater Macedonia, claiming the majority of the population there are oppressed ethnic Macedonians.^[24] Macedonia and Bulgaria signed a friendship treaty to improve their complicated relations in August 2017. A joint commission on historical and educational issues was formed in 2018 to serve as a forum where controversial historical and educational issues could be raised and discussed. This commission has made little progress in its work for a period of one year.^[25]

In October 2019, Bulgaria set out a "Framework position" warning that it would block the accession process unless North Macedonia fulfilled demands regarding anti-Bulgarian ideology in the country,^[26][27] and ultimately over an 'ongoing nation-building process' based on historical negationism of the Bulgarian identity, culture and legacy in the broader region of Macedonia.^[28][29][30]

Bulgarian politicians claim North Macedonia remains the only country in NATO, that is an EU-candidate, whose politics is based on communist historical and linguistic dogmas accepted by ASNOM.^[31] Concerning the Macedonian language, Bulgaria advises the EU to avoid using the term "Macedonian language" during the accession talks, and instead use the term "Official language of Republic of North Macedonia", reaffirming that it does not recognize the language as separate from Bulgarian.^[27] In North Macedonia this is widely perceived as a direct attack on its national identity and language.^[32]

In September 2020 Bulgaria has sent an explanatory memorandum to the Council of the European Union containing its framework position on the accession of North Macedonia.^[33] On 17 November 2020, Bulgaria refused to approve the European Union's negotiation framework for North Macedonia, effectively blocking the official start of accession talks with this country over slow progress on the implementation of the 2017 Friendship Treaty between the two countries, state-supported or tolerated hate speech and minority claims towards Bulgaria.^[2]

The veto received condemnation by some intellectuals,^[34] and criticism from international observers.^[35][36] A survey conducted in November 2020, by Alpha Research of 803 people from all over Bulgaria, found that 83.8% of Bulgarians were against the accession of North Macedonia in the EU until the historical dispute is solved, only 10.2% of Bulgarians supported the accession with the rest not having an opinion.^[37][38]

In June 2022 at the very end of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (January–June), an urgent proposal was put out by the president Emmanuel Macron to resolve the dispute between the two countries. The proposal provoked a political crisis in Bulgaria. On June 8, Slavi Trifonov withdrew his party from Bulgaria's governing coalition, citing the issue of North Macedonia. This faced criticism from President Rumen Radev, who said the proposal was relatively good. However, the government abdicated its responsibility and delegated it entirely to the parliament. As result on 22 June the Bulgarian government faced a motion of no confidence, which it lost.^[39] Nevertheless, on 24 June, after heated discussions, the parliament approved lifting the veto.^[40] President Macron claimed that the European leaders had put a lot of pressure on Bulgaria to accept this deal, confirming its approval was a "very good signal". On June 25, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sofia stated that the speed with which North Macedonia would approach the EU membership, already depended on itself.^[41] Two days before the end of the French presidency of the EU, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Kovačevski stated that the government remains of the opinion that the agreement proposed from Paris and approved by Bulgaria is unacceptable for the country. However, since then, the proposal has been backed by the government of North Macedonia.^[42] In early July 2022, protests began in North Macedonia against the French proposal. However, the proposal was accepted by the Assembly of North Macedonia on 16 July 2022.^[3]

On 17 July 2022 in Sofia, the foreign ministers of Bulgaria and North Macedonia signed a second bilateral protocol to the Treaty of Good Neighborhood and Friendship between the two countries. Such protocols were supposed to be signed every year, but in practice they have not been signed since 2019. According to the decision of the Bulgarian National Assembly of June 24, the signing of this protocol is a condition for Bulgaria to approve the Negotiating Framework for the Republic of North Macedonia. The protocol contains specific measures and deadlines for the implementation of agreements on historical issues between the two countries, measures against hate speech, etc.^[43]

On 24 June 2022, Bulgaria's parliament approved lifting the country's veto on opening EU accession talks with North Macedonia. On 16 July 2022, the Assembly of North Macedonia also approved the revised French proposal, allowing accession negotiations to begin.^[3] The start of negotiations was officially launched on 19 July 2022.^[4] The approved document includes the condition to stop "hate speech" against all "minorities and communities", that North Macedonia recognize a shared history with Bulgaria, and the inclusion of Bulgarian people as a recognized minority in the Constitution.^[44] On July 17, North Macedonia signed a special protocol with Bulgaria to cooperate on these subjects.^[45] However, there was no progress in the inclusion of the Bulgarian minority in the Constitution of North Macedonia, though in February 2023, the Bulgarian parliament adopted a declaration condemning, an alleged anti-Bulgarian campaign there and warned it could stop North Macedonia's EU integration again.^[46]

Following the formal start of accession negotiations in July 2022, the next step is for North Macedonia to meet the conditions to start substantial negotiations by the opening of the first 5 negotiating chapters (Fundamentals cluster) at a second intergovernmental conference. This step will not begin until the "opening phase" has been completed, which according to the Council conclusions of July 2022 is conditional on the Assembly of North Macedonia approving the agreed constitutional amendment related to the Bulgarian minority.^[5][6][7] A two-thirds majority vote in the Assembly of North Macedonia is needed in order to approve the required constitutional amendment. However, the winning party of the most recent elections in May 2024 was VMRO-DPMNE, which has consistently blocked the passage of the required constitutional amendment, and campaigned on the idea that the EU negotiation framework instead should be changed to omit this requirement.^[47]

On 25 September 2024, the EU announced the decoupling of Albania from North Macedonia on the EU accession path, due to the disputes between North Macedonia and Bulgaria around the Bulgarian minority in North Macedonia, which had delayed further talks.^[48] Following the decision on decoupling of their processes, the EU opened negotiations on the first chapters with Albania separately on October 15, 2024.

Domestic politics

EU funding

North Macedonia has so far received €1.3 billion of development aid until 2020 from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, a funding mechanism for EU candidate countries.

Campaign

The government's motto for the candidacy is "The Sun, too, is a star.", referring to the sun from the flag of North Macedonia being displayed among the other stars in the flag of Europe.

Government structuring

North Macedonia's government has established a management infrastructure for the European integration process on the basis of a paper adopted in 1997 under the title "The strategic bases of the Republic of [North] Macedonia on achieving the membership of the European Union". It consists of the following institutions:

• The Committee for Euro-Atlantic Integration plays the central role in the decision-making of the country's policies in the European integration process. It is chaired by the Prime Minister with members including Deputy Prime Ministers, all ministers in the Government, the Governor of the National Bank of North Macedonia, and the President of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
• The Working Committee for European Integration of the Government of the Republic of [North] Macedonia (WCEI) – It is chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers in charge of EU Integration, whose deputy is the Minister of Economy. The members are the secretaries from all Ministries. It is an operational, inter-ministerial body establishing the methods and dynamics for implementation of strategic decisions, political guidelines and priorities of the Government, as well as monitoring the realisation of the concrete tasks.
• The Deputy to the President of the Government is responsible for the European integration as centre in the management and co-ordination of the operational part of the integration process. Its support and service is the Sector for European Integration within the General Secretariat of the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
• The Sector for European Integration within the Republic's government is given the task to organise, co-ordinate and synchronise the EU integration process. It is organised in seven units in charge of the approximation of the national legislation with that of the EU, translation of the EU legal acts, institution building, support to the WCEI, co-ordination of foreign assistance, and information to the broader public on EU and the European integration process.
• Departments/Sectors/Units for European Integration within the Ministries have similar structure and competencies as the central Sector for European Integration within the Government, being a key link in the institutional infrastructure.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs – EU domain – is responsible for communications with the EU structures through the Mission of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in Brussels, gathering valid and timely information that have impact on the integration process and presenting the uniform perspectives and positions in the European structures.

The other institutions supporting the EU integration process are the following:

• The Republic's Assembly and its Commission for European Issues
• The Secretariat for Legislation
• The General Secretariat of the Government
• The Subcommittee of the WCEI for approximation of the legislation with its working groups

Public opinion

Around 79% of the population of North Macedonia is in favor of EU accession.^[49] However, those who think North Macedonia is closer to EU entry today than it was in 2005, when it first received candidate member status, dropped from 57% to 32% between 2018 and 2021.

Chronology of relations with the EU

Timeline

Date	Event
October 1992	The Republic of Macedonia appoints its representative in Brussels,[citation needed] agreeing to the use of the "former Yugoslav" before its constitutional name ("Republic of Macedonia") designation in bilateral relations.[citation needed]
22 December 1995	The Republic and the EU establish diplomatic relations. Negotiations commence directed at an agreement with a wide scope of co-operation in the fields of trade, financial operations and transport.
10 March 1996	Macedonia becomes a full partner in the PHARE Programme (Poland and Hungary: Assistance for Reconstruction of their Economies).
November 1997	The Transport Agreement enters into force
1 January 1998	The Cooperation Agreement enters into force.
February 1998	1st political talks on ministerial level are held in Ohrid, in accordance with the Cooperation Agreement.
11 March 1998	A Trade and Textile Agreement is signed (it remains in force until 1998 and is later replaced with a new agreement on 1 January 2000).
21 and 22 March 1998	1st meeting of a mutual Cooperation Council in Skopje.
5 March 1999	2nd meeting of the Cooperation Council in Brussels
24 January 2000	The European Commission adopts directives regarding co-operation and regarding the official start of negotiations for potential membership.
March 2000	Opening of the EU Delegation in Skopje; appointment of the first Chief of the Delegation.
5 April 2000	Start of 1st round of negotiations on the SAA.
June 2000	Adoption of a Perspective (regulation) on Potential Membership by the European Council in Fiera.
24 November 2000	The SAA is initiated at the Zagreb Summit.
December 2000	Entering into force of Council Regulation on Introducing Exceptional Trade Measures; Macedonia joins the Regional CARDS Programme 2002–2006.
16 February 2001	Interim Agreement on SAA Trade Provisions signed.
9 April 2001	SAA and Interim Agreement on Trade and Trade Issues signed. The Agreement enters into force on 1 June 2001.
January 2002	Supplementary Protocol on Wine and Spirits, and Textile Products Trade Agreement.
20 February 2003	The President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, visits Skopje, reconfirming the EU position on the country's perspective for EU membership.
25 July 2003	Last of 6 meetings of the Cooperation Council in Brussels.
February 2004	"Declaration on the Application for EU membership" signed by the Macedonian parliament.
22 March 2004	At a ceremony in Dublin, Ireland, the Macedonian government submitted the application for membership in the EU.
1 April 2004	SAA enters into force following the ratifications by all the EU Member States. Status of SAA ratification Event North Macedonia [50] Croatia [51] Albania [52] Montenegro [53][Note 1] Bosnia and Herzegovina [55] Serbia [56][Note 2] Kosovo [57][Note 3] SAA negotiations start 2000-04-05 2000-11-24 2003-01-31 2005-10-10 2005-11-25 2005-10-10 2013-10-28[59] SAA initialled 2000-11-24 2001-05-14 2006-02-28 2007-03-15 2007-12-04 2007-11-07 2014-07-25[60] SAA/IA signature 2001-04-09 2001-10-29 2006-06-12 2007-10-15 2008-06-16 2008-04-29 2015-10-27[61] Interim Agreement: EC ratification 2001-04-27 2002-01-30 2006-06-12 2007-10-15 2008-06-16 2009-12-08 N/A [Note 4] SAP state ratification 2001-04-27 2002-01-30 2006-10-09 2007-11-14 2008-06-20 2008-09-22 N/A [Note 4] entry into force 2001-06-01 2002-03-01 2006-12-01 2008-01-01 2008-07-01 2010-02-01 N/A [Note 4] Deposit of the instrument of ratification: SAP state 2001-04-27 2002-01-30 2006-11-09 2007-11-13 2009-02-26 2008-09-22 2016-02-26 Austria 2002-09-06 2002-03-15 2008-05-21 2008-07-04 2009-09-04 2011-01-13 N/A Belgium 2003-12-29 2003-12-17 2008-10-22 2010-03-29 2010-03-29 2012-03-20 N/A Bulgaria joined the EU later 2008-05-30 2009-03-13 2010-08-12 N/A Croatia joined the EU later N/A Cyprus joined the EU later 2008-05-30 2008-11-20 2009-07-02 2010-11-26 N/A Czech Republic joined the EU later 2008-05-07 2009-02-19 2009-07-23 2011-01-28 N/A Denmark 2002-04-10 2002-05-08 2008-04-24 2008-06-25 2009-05-26 2011-03-04 N/A Estonia joined the EU later 2007-10-17 2007-11-22 2008-09-11 2010-08-19 N/A Finland 2004-01-06 2004-01-06 2007-11-29 2009-03-18 2009-04-07 2011-10-21 N/A France 2003-06-04 2003-06-04 2009-02-12 2009-07-30 2011-02-10 2012-01-16 N/A Germany 2002-06-20 2002-10-18 2009-02-19 2009-11-16 2009-08-14 2012-02-24 N/A Greece 2003-08-27 2003-08-27 2009-02-26 2010-03-04 2010-09-20 2011-03-10 N/A Hungary joined the EU later 2007-04-23 2008-05-14 2008-10-22 2010-11-16 N/A Ireland 2002-05-06 2002-05-06 2007-06-11 2009-06-04 2009-06-04 2011-09-29 N/A Italy 2003-10-30 2004-10-06 2008-01-07 2009-10-13 2010-09-08 2011-01-06 N/A Latvia joined the EU later 2006-12-19 2008-10-17 2009-11-12 2011-05-30 N/A Lithuania joined the EU later 2007-05-17 2009-03-04 2009-05-04 2013-06-26 N/A Luxembourg 2003-07-28 2003-08-01 2007-07-04 2009-06-11 2010-12-22 2011-01-21 N/A Malta joined the EU later 2008-04-21 2008-12-11 2010-01-07 2010-07-06 N/A Netherlands 2002-09-09 2004-04-30 2007-12-10 2009-01-29 2009-09-30 2012-02-27 N/A Poland joined the EU later 2007-04-14 2009-02-06 2010-04-07 2012-01-13 N/A Portugal 2003-07-14 2003-07-14 2008-07-11 2008-09-23 2009-06-29 2011-03-04 N/A Romania joined the EU later 2009-01-15 2010-01-08 2012-05-22 N/A Slovakia joined the EU later 2007-07-20 2008-07-29 2009-03-17 2010-11-11 N/A Slovenia joined the EU later 2007-01-18 2008-02-07 2009-03-10 2010-12-07 N/A Spain 2002-10-04 2002-10-04 2007-05-03 2009-03-12 2010-06-15 2010-06-21 N/A Sweden 2002-06-25 2003-03-27 2007-03-21 2009-03-11 2009-09-14 2011-04-15 N/A United Kingdom 2002-12-17 2004-09-03 2007-10-16 2010-01-12 2010-04-20 2011-08-11 N/A European Communities or European Union and Euratom 2004-02-25 2004-12-21 2009-02-26 2010-03-29 2015-04-30 2013-07-22 2016-02-24 [Note 5] SAA entry into force 2004-04-01 2005-02-01 2009-04-01 2010-05-01 2015-06-01 2013-09-01 2016-04-01[65] EU membership (SAA lapsed) (TBD) 2013-07-01 (TBD) (TBD) (TBD) (TBD) (TBD) N/A: Not applicable. Montenegro started negotiations in November 2005 while a part of Serbia and Montenegro (SiM). Separate technical negotiations were conducted regarding issues of sub-state organizational competency. A mandate for direct negotiations with Montenegro was established in July 2006. Direct negotiations were initiated on 26 September 2006 and concluded on 1 December 2006.[54] Serbia started negotiations in November 2005 while part of SiM, with a modified mandate from July 2006. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 but is still claimed by Serbia as part of its territory. The European Union remains divided, with five EU member states not recognizing its independence. The EU launched a Stabilisation Tracking Mechanism for Kosovo] on 6 November 2002 with the aim of aligning its policy with EU standards. On 10 October 2012 the European Commission found that there were no legal obstacles to Kosovo signing a SAA with the EU, as independence is not required for such an agreement.[58] No Interim Agreement associated with Kosovo's SAA was concluded.[62] Kosovo's SAA was the first signed after the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty, which conferred a legal personality to the EU. As a result, unlike previous SAAs Kosovo's is exclusively between it and the EU and Euratom, and the member states are not parties independently.[59][63][64]
3 June 2004	1st meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Committee held in Skopje.
6 September 2004	National Strategy for European Integration adopted by the Macedonian government.
14 September 2004	1st meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Council in Brussels.
1 October 2004	Questionnaire on accession preparation submitted to the Macedonian government by the European Commission.
31 January 2005	Answers to the Questionnaire finalised by the Macedonian government.
14 February 2005	Answers to the Questionnaire submitted to the European Commission by a Macedonian delegation in Brussels.
10 May 2005	Additional questions to the Questionnaire of the European Commission that were received on 22 April 2005 are answered, accepted by the Republic's government, and sent to Brussels.
9 November 2005	Positive recommendation on Macedonian accession issued by the European Commission.
17 December 2005	The European Council in Brussels approves the candidate status.
9 November 2006	The European Commission decides to start visa facilitation negotiations with the Republic.
23 June 2008	Following the EU summit, the resolution of the naming dispute was added as a precondition to EU accession.[66]
14 October 2009	The European Commission recommended the start of the accession negotiations for full-fledged membership of the Republic of Macedonia.[67]
29 March 2012	European Commission launches a High Level Accession Dialogue with Skopje.[68]
25 January 2019	The Prespa Agreement enters into force on 25 January 2019, ending the decades long naming-dispute. It is outlined in the agreement that Greece will no longer veto the accession talks between North Macedonia and the European Union. Main article: Prespa agreement
26 March 2020	The European Council formally approved start of accession talks.[69]
19 July 2022	Accession negotiations started.[70]

Visa liberalisation process

On 1 January 2008 the visa facilitation and readmission agreements between Macedonia and the EU entered into force.^[71] Macedonia began a visa liberalisation dialogue with the EU in February 2008 and was added to the list of visa exempt nationals on 19 December 2009, allowing their citizens to enter the Schengen Area and Cyprus without a visa when travelling with biometric passports.^[72]

Negotiation progress

The screening process has been completed though no chapters have been opened thus far.

Screening and Chapter Dates

Progression	33 / 33 100% complete	33 / 33 100% complete	0 / 33 0% complete	0 / 33 0% complete
Acquis chapter[73]	Screening Started	Screening Completed	Chapter Opened	Chapter Closed
1. Free Movement of Goods	30 January 2023	9 March 2023	–	–
2. Freedom of Movement For Workers	30 January 2023	9 March 2023	–	–
3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services	17 January 2023	9 March 2023	–	–
4. Free Movement of Capital	7 October 2022	9 March 2023	–	–
5. Public Procurement	15 September 2022	16 January 2023	–	–
6. Company Law	3 February 2023	9 March 2023	–	–
7. Intellectual Property Law	17 January 2023	9 March 2023	–	–
8. Competition Policy	17 January 2023	9 March 2023	–	–
9. Financial Services	7 October 2022	9 March 2023	–	–
10. Information Society & Media	27 March 2023	15 June 2023	–	–
11. Agriculture & Rural Development	17 July 2023	1 December 2023	–	–
12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy	17 July 2023	1 December 2023	–	–
13. Fisheries	17 July 2023	1 December 2023	–	–
14. Transport Policy	15 March 2023	15 September 2023	–	–
15. Energy	15 March 2023	15 September 2023	–	–
16. Taxation	31 March 2023	15 June 2023	–	–
17. Economic & Monetary Policy	13 June 2023	15 June 2023	–	–
18. Statistics	19 September 2022	16 January 2023	–	–
19. Social Policy & Employment	23 May 2023	15 June 2023	–	–
20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy	26 May 2023	15 June 2023	–	–
21. Trans-European Networks	15 March 2023	15 September 2023	–	–
22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments	17 July 2023	1 December 2023	–	–
23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights	27 September 2022	16 January 2023	–	–
24. Justice, Freedom & Security	27 September 2022	16 January 2023	–	–
25. Science & Research	28 April 2023	15 June 2023	–	–
26. Education & Culture	27 April 2023	15 June 2023	–	–
27. Environment & Climate Change	18 March 2023	15 September 2023	–	–
28. Consumer & Health Protection	17 February 2023	9 March 2023	–	–
29. Customs Union	20 October 2022	15 June 2023	–	–
30. External Relations	6 December 2023	6 December 2023	–	–
31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy	7 December 2023	7 December 2023	–	–
32. Financial Control	9 December 2022	16 January 2023	–	–
33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions	17 July 2023	1 December 2023	–	–
34. Institutions	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
35. Other Issues	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Please note as of 2021, clusters have been implemented to provide better organization and some additional items have been added to align with the new EU methodology.
Clusters	Acquis Chapter	State of Play	Cluster Opened	Cluster Closed
Overview	Overview	0 out of 33	0 out of 6	0 out of 6
Fundamentals	23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights	–	–	–
	24. Justice, Freedom & Security	–
	Economic criteria	–
	Functioning of democratic institutions	–
	Public administration reform	–
	5. Public Procurement	–
	18. Statistics	–
	32. Financial Control	–
Internal Market	1. Free Movement of Goods	–	–	–
	2. Freedom of Movement For Workers	–
	3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services	–
	4. Free Movement of Capital	–
	6. Company Law	–
	7. Intellectual Property Law	–
	8. Competition Policy	–
	9. Financial Services	–
	28. Consumer & Health Protection	–
Competitiveness and inclusive growth	10. Information Society & Media	–	–	–
	16. Taxation	–
	17. Economic & Monetary Policy	–
	19. Social Policy & Employment	–
	20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy	–
	25. Science & Research	–
	26. Education & Culture	–
	29. Customs Union	–
Green agenda and sustainable connectivity	14. Transport Policy	–	–	–
	15. Energy	–
	21. Trans-European Networks	–
	27. Environment	–
Resources, agriculture and cohesion	11. Agriculture & Rural Development	–	–	–
	12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy	–
	13. Fisheries	–
	22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments	–
	33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions	–
External relations	30. External Relations	–	–	–
	31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy	–
	34. Institutions	–	–	–
	35. Other Issues	–	–	–

Report History

Acquis chapter	2011[74]	2012[75]	2013[76]	2014[77]	2015[78]	2016[79]	2018[80]	2019[81]	2020[82]	2021[83]	2022[84]	2023[85]	2024[86]
1. Free Movement of Goods	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
2. Freedom of Movement For Workers	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage
3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services	Early stage	Moderately prepared	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
4. Free Movement of Capital	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
5. Public Procurement	Well prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
6. Company Law	Considerable efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
7. Intellectual Property Law	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
8. Competition Policy	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
9. Financial Services	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
10. Information Society & Media	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
11. Agriculture & Rural Development	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy	Good level of preparation	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
13. Fisheries	Moderately prepared	Further efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
14. Transport Policy	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
15. Energy	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
16. Taxation	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
17. Economic & Monetary Policy	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation†	Good level of preparation†
18. Statistics	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation†
19. Social Policy & Employment	Considerable efforts needed	Considerable efforts needed	Early stage	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy	Some level of preparation	Considerable efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation†
21. Trans-European Networks	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Some level of preparation	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights	Considerable efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Moderately prepared†	Moderately prepared†	Moderately prepared†	Moderately prepared†	Moderately prepared†	Moderately prepared†
24. Justice, Freedom & Security	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared†	Moderately prepared†	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
25. Science & Research	Considerable efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
26. Education & Culture	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
27. Environment	Considerable efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Further efforts needed	Moderately prepared	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation	Some level of preparation
28. Consumer & Health Protection	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
29. Customs Union	No major difficulties expected	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
30. External Relations	Some level of preparation	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation
31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation	Good level of preparation
32. Financial Control	Further efforts needed	Early stage	Early stage	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared	Moderately prepared
33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions	Totally incompatible with acquis	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage	Early stage
34. Institutions	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt
35. Other Issues	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt	Nothing to adopt
Legend: Chapters in bold indicate completed chapters. † indicates chapters in which the European Commission has simultaneously awarded the chapter both "some level of preparation" AND "moderately prepared" OR both "moderately prepared" AND "good level of preparation".   totally incompatible   early stage   considerable efforts needed   some level of preparation   further efforts needed   moderately prepared   no major difficulties expected   good level of preparation   well prepared / well advanced

Impact of joining

Member countries	Population	Area (km2)	GDP (billion US$)	GDP per capita (US$)	Languages
North Macedonia	1,836,713	25,713	12.383	6,143	Macedonian
EU27	447,007,596	4,233,262	17,046	38,957	24
EU27+1	448,844,309 (+0.45%)	4,258,975 (+0.61%)	17,277.98 (+0.06%)	38,134 (–0.2%)	25

North Macedonia's foreign relations with EU member states

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden

See also

• Foreign relations of North Macedonia
• Foreign relations of the European Union
• Accession of Albania to the European Union
• North Macedonia–NATO relations
• Yugoslavia–European Communities relations
• Bulgaria–North Macedonia relations
• Greece–North Macedonia relations

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External links

• Relations of the European Union with North Macedonia
• Secretariat of European Affairs of North Macedonia