The European Commission’s 2026 Enlargement Package shows that the EU accession process is moving ahead—but at very different speeds. Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine received indicative roadmaps for the next stages of negotiations. North Macedonia remains at the threshold of its first negotiating cluster, with the constitutional amendments still a condition for the next formal step.
The Cost of Standing Still examines what the Commission’s report says about North Macedonia, what has changed across the last four reporting cycles, and how the country compares with its peers. The analysis recognises real strengths, including full alignment with EU foreign policy, progress in selected policy areas and recent delivery under the Reform Agenda. It also finds that this delivery has not yet translated into comparable momentum in the negotiations or sustained progress in key areas of the Fundamentals cluster.
The figures reinforce that distinction. In the working comparison, North Macedonia had fulfilled 22 of 136 Reform Agenda steps (16.2%) and received 18.9% of its initial indicative allocation—below Montenegro and Albania on both measures. Across the 2026 chapter assessments, North Macedonia’s preparation average was 3.14, while its annual progress average was 1.36. These scores are analytical comparisons, not Commission ratings; read alongside the country reports and negotiating milestones, they point to a country with a foundation to build on, but a pace that is falling behind.
The central question is whether reforms will change how institutions work after a measure is formally completed. The analysis argues for constitutional amendments and domestic reforms to advance in parallel: with a Vision of Statehood and a Vision for the Future, North Macedonia can use the accession process to strengthen its institutions, affirm its national identity and advance the Macedonian language in Europe.
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