North Macedonia: Politics versus Policy of EU Integration

Abstract The accession of North Macedonia to the European Union (EU) has been at an impasse for 27 years due to the political dispute with Greece. In 2018, its resolution fuelled hopes that North Macedonia would finally start negotiations with the EU. Unfortunately, there was a new obstacle, as Bulgaria vetoed the talks in December 2020. Implicit to the latest political backlog, the efforts for further EU integration should be focused on the available policy instruments. The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) is a legally binding document which has already enabled trade liberalisation between the parties, stipulates the national treatment of business entities on the basis of reciprocity, aims for full liberalisation of capital and financial flows, and also provides other opportunities for integration. Placing the SAA in the spotlight of the mutual relations between the parties, based on proactivity from North Macedonia, could provide the impetus for more substantial EU integration of the country, despite the political stagnation of the process.