Strong collaboration between the authorities of North Macedonia, the European Union and the Council of Europe has brought forward the reforms in the areas of rule of law, democracy, and human rights in recent years. These reforms are crucial for improving the lives of the people of North Macedonia and the European Union and the Council of Europe have reaffirmed their commitment to further co-operation under the joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.

This was underlined during the first Beneficiary Steering Committee Meeting under the third phase of the programme, which took place in Skopje today. The meeting brought together key stakeholders and partners to discuss the main achievements of the actions implemented in North Macedonia so far, as well as plans for the continuation of the successful co-operation.

Under the third phase of the programme, covering the period 2023 – 2026, the European Union and the Council of Europe have allocated almost €4,8 million to six actions in North Macedonia. The actions aim to bring justice closer to citizens, protect the rights of prisoners, improve the effectiveness of the fight against money laundering, and uphold freedom of expression and freedom of the media in line with European standards. The programme will also continue to support local partners in the fight against discrimination and human trafficking.

In her address, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Fatmire Isaki, expressed her appreciation for the continued expert and financial support provided by the programme. “Having in mind that North Macedonia has now completed the screening process of the accession negotiations with the EU, it is important to continue deepening our co-operation, as well as to keep the result-oriented focus of this joint European Union/Council of Europe programme”, she said. Furthermore, “the flexible and inclusive approach of the programme, which involves the beneficiary institutions and stakeholders in the realisation of the actions in all six thematic areas is pertinent to the domestic key reforms in compliance with European standards”, Isaki concluded.

Ambassador David Geer, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to North Macedonia, said on this occasion: “The partnership between the EU and the Council of Europe across the Western Balkans is bearing fruit in terms of standard setting, capacity building and sharing expertise. It extends to state institutions, but also civil society. However, real success will depend on the extent that standards are implemented and enforced, and capacities used to promote greater respect for fundamental rights, equality and the rule of law.”

“Through the Horizontal Facility, the Council of Europe, together with the European Union and in close partnership with the national authorities, support North Macedonia in its reform process aimed to bring sustainable change”, said Claus Neukirch, Director of Programme Co-ordination at the Directorate of Programme Co-ordination of the Council of Europe.

The European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a joint co-operation initiative, running from 2023 to 2026. It enables the beneficiaries to implement their reform agendas in the areas of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to meet European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process. The current, third phase of the programme, is worth €41 million (85% funded by the European Union and 15% funded by the Council of Europe).