What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

Removed:23. Welcomes the first steps in implementing the Reform Agenda and the multiannual work programme under the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans;

Added:51. Underlines the need to address social challenges, ensure high-quality employment policies, foster social convergence towards EU standards and achieve progress as regards the European Pillar of Social Rights;

Removed:24. Calls to continue implementing labour market activation strategies for young people, the long-term unemployed, low-skilled individuals, and vulnerable groups;

Added:52. Welcomes the first steps in implementing the Reform Agenda and the multiannual work programme under the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, which is on track to deliver concrete benefits to citizens; encourages North Macedonia to continue implementing its Reform Agenda; highlights the need to considerably speed up and deliver on the Reform Agenda, in particular on the fundamentals cluster; stresses that the disbursement of funds must remain strictly conditional on the fulfilment of agreed reform objectives and milestones; welcomes the adoption of the comprehensive cybersecurity framework and the updated Law on Electronic Documents, Electronic Identification and Trust Services; welcomes the objective and fact-based manner in which the Commission has assessed the implementation of reform steps thus far;

Removed:25. Welcomes the integration of North Macedonia in the single euro payments area (SEPA);

Added:53. Calls for the EU and North Macedonia to pursue strengthened oversight and meaningful participation of civil society organisations, business associations and social partners in all stages of the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, including the design of reform measures, implementation of projects and monitoring of results; recognises the need to improve the business climate and the functioning of the market economy; calls for greater focus to be placed on measures to correct market distortions and on social protective measures; calls for greater attention to be paid to negative demographic trends and to tackling the informal economy and its negative social and fiscal impacts;

Added:54. Calls on the authorities to safeguard the independence and legitimate role of representative trade unions, and ensure respect for fundamental labour rights, including collective bargaining, in law and practice; calls, furthermore, on the authorities to ensure constructive and meaningful dialogue with trade unions to address urgent issues such as wages, working conditions and social protection, including as regards platform work;

Added:55. Recognises the strategic importance of the cultural and creative sectors and the need for a stable, EU-aligned copyright framework; calls on North Macedonia to ensure fair remuneration for authors and performers, align collective rights management with the EU acquis and strengthen enforcement against piracy; underlines that weak protection of rights holders undermines media sustainability and the development of high-quality audiovisual content;

Added:56. Calls for the continued implementation of labour market activation strategies for young people, the long-term unemployed, low-skilled individuals and disadvantaged groups, such as women, persons with disabilities, Roma and Egyptians;

Added:57. Encourages the strengthening of youth policy by amending the Law on Youth Participation and Youth Policies, establishing effective monitoring and a dedicated budget code, and improving local youth structures;

Added:58. Welcomes the integration of North Macedonia into the geographical scope of the single euro payments area (SEPA);

Added:59. Warmly welcomes the Commission proposal to open negotiations on extending the EU ‘roam like at home’ regime to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia; calls on the Council to swiftly authorise the opening of negotiations with the Western Balkan partners; emphasises that extending the ‘roam like at home’ area to the Western Balkans would deliver tangible benefits to citizens and businesses alike, fostering people-to-people contacts, boosting economic ties, supporting educational exchanges and facilitating tourism;

Added:60. Calls on North Macedonia to align with the EU acquis on the screening of foreign direct investments;

Environment, biodiversity, energy and transport

Change 14

Changed:26.61. Calls for increased investments in transport and energy infrastructure and in advancing efforts to bring transport, energy and environmental legislation closer to EU standards; calls for national legislation to be aligned with EU passenger rights rules; underlines the need to strengthen connectivity and ensure unimpeded trade flows, in particular in road traffic; calls for the implementation of the EU’s Entry/Exit System, while bearing in mind its impact on professional drivers and supply chains;

Change 15

Removed:27. Highlights the importance of cross-border connections such as the TEN-T corridors VIII and X;

Added:62. Highlights the importance of cross-border connections such as the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridors VIII and X, as they are vital in increasing economic cooperation with neighbouring countries and people-to-people contacts; counts on the effective implementation of the commitments undertaken; welcomes the agreement between Bulgaria and North Macedonia on the construction of a cross-border railway tunnel, marking a decisive step towards completing the rail link along corridor VIII; notes the strategic importance of corridor VIII for the EU and NATO’s geostrategic autonomy, serving as a key logistics route along NATO’s southern flank;

Change 16

Changed:28.63. Welcomes the adoption of the Energy Law in May 20252025, but underlines that the country is still heavily dependent on coal; calls for athe swift uptake of renewable energy and for increased focus to be placed on energy efficiency;efficiency, especially for buildings;

Change 17

Removed:29. Regrets that little process has been made in environmental legislation and calls in particular to address air and water quality and wastewater management;

Added:64. Regrets that little progress has been made in environmental legislation; calls, in particular, for urgent action to address air and water quality and waste water management, including through increased and clearly earmarked national funding for water supply and sanitation infrastructure in urban and rural areas, integrating village water systems into public utilities where feasible, with clearly assigned institutional responsibilities, and ensuring regular sanitary and laboratory controls, with public disclosure of results and strengthened inspection oversight, including the introduction of sanctions for unregulated, poorly maintained, or polluting systems;

Added:65. Notes, with concern, the persistently high levels of air pollution, particularly in urban areas, which are strongly linked to coal combustion and cement production; expresses serious concern, in this context, about the new Law on Control of Industrial Emissions and urges the authorities to amend it through a transparent and inclusive public procedure involving all relevant stakeholders, notably environmental experts and civil society organisations; stresses the urgent need to improve air quality in cities, including through measures such as the introduction of low emission zones and the acquisition of modern, less polluting public transport vehicles;

Added:66. Notes, with concern, the limited progress in implementing horizontal environmental legislation and urges North Macedonia to fully align and effectively implement the Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment Directives, including secondary legislation related to small hydropower projects;

Added:67. Urges the Government of North Macedonia and local authorities to step up measures on biodiversity, to establish effective legal protection for Emerald sites designated under the Bern Convention and to accelerate the identification and designation of future Natura 2000 sites; urges the Government of North Macedonia to prioritise and expedite the adoption of a new law on nature protection to replace the outdated legal framework and ensure full alignment with the EU Habitats and Birds Directives;

Added:68. Welcomes North Macedonia’s continued cooperation with Kosovo and Albania regarding the transboundary Sharr Mountains National Park; reiterates the urgent need to adopt the law on the re-proclamation of Mavrovo National Park and to finalise and effectively implement its management plan; encourages the inclusion of Jablanica in the national list of protected areas; urges North Macedonia to develop and implement a national action and management plan for the conservation of the Balkan lynx, aligned with the regional strategy and in cooperation with neighbouring countries, including with a view to maintaining ecological connectivity between key habitats, including Mavrovo and Jablanica and transboundary areas;

Regional cooperation and foreign policy

Change 18

Changed:30.69. Welcomes North Macedonia’s valuable and significant contributions to regional cooperation and stability;stability via its engagement in regional economic and diplomatic initiatives such as the Berlin Process, the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the implementation of common regional market agreements;

Change 19

Changed:31.70. Calls for consistent commitment to dialogue and cooperation with neighbouring countries to strengthen regional stability and foster mutual trust; calls for the further promotion of people-to-people contacts across south-eastern Europe; underlines the importance of implementing international agreements in good faith, such as the Prespa Agreement and the Treaty of Friendship, Good-neighbourliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria;

Change 20

Removed:32. Commends North Macedonia’s strong alignment with the EU’s foreign, security and defence policy; calls, however, on the government, in cases of doubt, to align with the majority position within the EU;

Added:71. Acknowledges the existence of differing interpretations concerning the historical characteristics of Macedonian society; underscores that its report does not aim to prejudge or constrain scholarly discourse on these matters nor do such interpretations bear influence on its assessment of North Macedonia’s progress towards EU accession, which remains anchored in the Copenhagen criteria and the principles of good neighbourly relations; urges all parties to resume the work of the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission on Historical and Educational Issues of Bulgaria and North Macedonia and to fulfil its work in good faith, thereby bringing societies closer together; condemns any attempts to replace historical monuments and/or artefacts, including the destruction of authentic cultural heritage; regrets the destruction and falsification of Bulgarian inscriptions;

Added:72. Expresses strong concern that the most recent session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission, set up under Article 12 of the Treaty of Friendship, Good-neighbourliness and Cooperation, was held on 17 July 2022 and that no new session has been held since then; urges the Governments of Bulgaria and North Macedonia to swiftly organise the third session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission so as to advance the implementation of the Treaty and its Protocols;

Added:73. Strongly urges the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission on Historical and Educational Issues of Bulgaria and North Macedonia, established as a result of the Treaty of Friendship, Good-neighbourliness and Cooperation with Bulgaria, to achieve clear and tangible results; underlines that the texts should reflect the interpretation of historical facts and figures from the common history of both peoples based on objective, authentic and evidence-based historical sources and documents, scientific interpretation and historical events, as stipulated in the second protocol to the Treaty with Bulgaria;

Added:74. Notes, with concern, the increasingly strong links between North Macedonia and the Government of Serbia, which pursues an illiberal agenda; cautions, furthermore, against growing Chinese economic and political influence in the region, in particular through infrastructure projects and lending; notes, with equal concern, reports of Russian efforts to project influence in North Macedonia; calls for the EU to support North Macedonia in strengthening resilience against external influence conducted through religious networks; expresses concern over narratives promoted in the region that question the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, including the so-called Serbian World;

Added:75. Recalls the need to open the Yugoslav secret service archives (UDBA and KOS), kept in both North Macedonia and Serbia; emphasises the need to open these archives region-wide to deal with the totalitarian past in a transparent way, with a view to strengthening democracy, accountability and institutions in the Western Balkans;

Added:76. Commends North Macedonia’s strong and long-standing alignment with the EU’s foreign, security and defence policy, including on restrictive measures; regrets, however, the increase in abstentions on important votes in international bodies instead of following the majority EU position; calls, therefore, on the Government of North Macedonia, in cases of doubt, to align with the majority position within the EU; highlights North Macedonia’s geostrategic significance and its important role as a member of NATO; welcomes the country’s active participation in EU missions and operations under the common security and defence policy and its contribution to the EU’s leading role in peacekeeping, conflict prevention and international crisis management; welcomes North Macedonia’s readiness to enhance cooperation with the EU within the framework of the Security and Defence Partnership;

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Change 21

Changed:33.77. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the relevantPresident EUof institutions,the European Council, the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the President, Government and Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia.