Municipalities in North Macedonia are showing significant interest in establishing direct partnerships with cities and regions in the European Union and the government of North Macedonia is committed to strengthening local finances, local and regional politicians were told on 2 June.

The political groups in the European Committee of the Regions have collected many of the examples of the challenges faced by their members, and their responses, as well as ideas about how the EU could help them.

Euroopan unionin päätös käynnistää liittymisneuvottelut Pohjois-Makedonian ja Albanian kanssa on ”EU:n kannalta oikea päätös ja erinomainen mahdollisuus Länsi-Balkanin maille”. Näin totesivat Euroopan alueiden komitean johtajat 25. maaliskuuta sen jälkeen, kun EU:n jäsenvaltiot olivat virallisesti kutsuneet nämä kaksi maata neuvottelupöytään.

Access to money and how much power should be given to give to local government were the central themes when local leaders from the European Union and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met in Skopje on 11 September, against the backdrop of a renewed drive by the country to join the European Union.