OSCE Permanent Council No. 1565 - EU Statement in response to the report by the Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje

OSCE Permanent Council No. 1565

Vienna, 21 May 2026

EU Statement in response to the report 

by the Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje

The European Union thanks for the comprehensive report by the Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje and commends the mission for its work in supporting North Macedonia's reform agenda across five priority areas on its EU accession path. 

The EU appreciates the Mission's efforts to strengthen inter-ethnic dialogue and social cohesion at the local level, including through expanding community-based Local Prevention Councils to 19 active bodies nationwide and we encourage all parties to pursue inclusive solutions in line with the Ohrid Framework Agreement. We underline the continued importance of the human dimension in the OSCE's work in North Macedonia and commend the Mission for delivering concrete results across fundamental rights, social cohesion, and protection of vulnerable groups.We encourage the Mission to continue its capacity building work in addressing and preventing hate crimes, violence against women, youth violence and all forms of discrimination.

Notably with regard to addressing statelessness, the EU welcomes the Mission's support to national authorities, together with UNHCR, in resolving 317 long-standing statelessness cases and enabling approximately 300 Roma citizens to obtain legal identification. We furthermore commend the development of the National Protocol on Statelessness to prevent future cases.

In addition, the EU welcomes Mission’s focus on prevention of and response to gender-based violence, in particular the operationalisation of the Femicide Watch Initiative through the Multisectoral Working Body thereby enabling co-ordinated case review and prevention across law enforcement, judiciary, and social services. 

In the area of rule of law, we take note of North Macedonia’s progress achieved so far in relevant reforms and encourage intensified efforts while highlighting that the Venice Commission had issued recommendations on pending legislation. In this context, we also encourage North Macedonia to advance implementation of outstanding ODIHR recommendations ahead of the next electoral cycle. 

Furthermore, the EU underlines the importance of the Mission’s work on criminal justice reform, including the modernisation of police training and the improvement in fair trial compliance from 80 to 87 per cent across monitored high-profile cases, as well as the Mission's contribution to establishing the Regional Association of Police Academies and Training Centres in South-Eastern Europe, thereby helping authorities strengthen cross-border co-operation against transnational threats.

With regard to addressing anti-corruption and tackling organised crime, we highlight the Mission's support for the adoption of an Integrity Policy for the judiciary in December 2025, and the broadening of anti-corruption frameworks across local governance, electoral administration, and Parliament. In this context, we express our appreciation for the mission’s contribution to the implementation of the EU-funded regional trial monitoring project for serious organised crime and corruption cases.

We reaffirm the EU’s full and unequivocal commitment to the European Union membership perspective of the region and reiterate our unwavering support for the European integration of the Western Balkans, based upon credible reforms by partners, fair and rigorous conditionality, and the principle of own merits.  We reiterate our full support for the Western Balkans partners’ reaffirmed commitment to inclusive regional cooperation and the strengthening of good neighbourly relations, including with EU Member States.

In conclusion, we reaffirm the EU's support for the mission and our appreciation of its team in Skopje,encourage close coordination with international partners on the ground and look forward to the outcome of the evaluation of the mission strategy later this year. 

Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.