Changes from plenary report to adopted text

66. 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;

67. 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;

68. 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Government of North Macedonia to prioritise and expedite the adoption of a new law on nature protection to replace the outdated legal framework and ensure full alignment with the EU Habitats and Birds Directives;

69. 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

70. Welcomes North Macedonia’s valuable and significant contributions to regional cooperation and 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;

71. 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;

72. 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;

73. 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;

74. 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;

75. 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;

76. 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;

77. 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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78. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President of 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.