Environmental Policies of North Macedonia within the EU Accession Process

Abstract

North Macedonia, a candidate for membership in the European Union, faces various environmental challenges. For both a sustainable ecological balance and healthy living, and for the progress of its EU membership process, North Macedonia needs to pursue environmentally friendly policies. In this context, the policies it has implemented in line with the EU membership negotiations are of great importance for the future of North Macedonia. This study examines the main environmental problems of North Macedonia, the environmental policies developed to address these problems, and the effectiveness of these policies in practice. The research was conducted using a qualitative research approach with document analysis. In this context, North Macedonia’s national environmental legislation, policy documents, official reports, and especially the international agreements it signed within the framework of the European Union accession process were analyzed. This study evaluates the concrete results of environmental policy implementation; it examines the gains achieved, areas of limited success, and the reasons for failure. The study aims to comprehensively assess the effectiveness of North Macedonia’s environmental policies within the context of EU integration.