As part of our continued support for EU enlargement and legal harmonisation efforts in the Western Balkans, we delivered a two-day seminar titled “EU Accession Negotiations and Legal Approximation: Mechanics, Legal Requirements and Administrative Implications for North Macedonia”.
Organised under the Luxembourg Technical Assistance Programme for North Macedonia, and in close cooperation with the Ministry for European Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, the seminar was held on 4 and 5 June 2025 at the Ministry’s premises in Skopje. This technical assistance initiative is funded by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Cooperation and Foreign Trade of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, within the broader programme “Assisting the Governance and Rule of Law Reforms imposed by EU Accession.”
Equipping Public Servants for the Challenges of Accession
The training was tailored for officials from the Ministry for European Affairs and other public institutions directly involved in accession negotiations and EU law approximation. Its main objective was to provide a strategic and operational understanding of the EU accession process, with a strong focus on legal harmonisation, administrative requirements, and institutional coordination.
The activity took place at a crucial moment in North Macedonia’s path to EU accession, with accession negotiations in full swing. Since their launch in 2022 with the first step, the screening process, during which the European Commission presented more than 4,000 EU legal acts, North Macedonia now faces the significant task of aligning its legal system with the EU acquis through transposition and harmonisation. In this context, the workshop and EIPA’s support were very valuable, as they gave participants, civil servants from the Ministry for European Affairs, the Government Secretariat, and the Assembly, the skills needed to handle the complex work of aligning national laws with EU rules.
The training led by EIPA experts Juan Diego Ramírez-Cárdenas Díaz and Wolfgang Koeth also benefited from the involvement of senior officials from the Ministry for European Affairs of North Macedonia including Dragan Tilev, Adviser to the Minister for European Affairs, Kristina Koneska Beroska, State Counsellor for Support of the EU Integration Process and Danica Nasova Ivanova, Deputy Head of Section, Sector for Integration.
Strengthening Partnerships in EU Legal Education
EIPA took the opportunity of its visit to Skopje for the training to meet with Ilir Iseni, Deputy Director of the Academy of Judges and Public Prosecutors of North Macedonia. The Academy is also a beneficiary of Luxembourg’s assistance, which, through EIPA, contributes to the legal education of national magistrates on matters of EU law. This meeting reflects the strong and long-established cooperation between EIPA and the Academy and takes place at a crucial moment, as the Academy finalises its institutional development strategy for 2025–2029. During the meeting, Deputy Director Iseni and Juan Diego Ramírez-Cárdenas Díaz discussed how EIPA’s planned support in 2026 could help implement the strategy.
Looking Ahead
This seminar marks another important milestone in EIPA’s long-standing commitment to supporting EU candidate countries. By enhancing the legal and administrative capacities of North Macedonia’s public sector, EIPA contributes to the country’s ongoing reforms and its alignment with the EU acquis – essential steps on the path to EU membership.
