EU and International Affairs

Staff: Marija Risteska, Zhidas Daskalovski, Aleksandar Cekov

Macedonia’s accession to the European Union and NATO has been a priority for every government since the country gained independence. Membership in these organizations is seen as crucial for maintaining institutional stability and securing economic growth. Furthermore, the complexity of the problems that plague Macedonian foreign policy today require special attention and abundance of resources and input from all relevant actors and stakeholders if they are to be resolved in a timely manner. The Centre for Research and Policy Making has committed itself work with policymakers, academics, journalists, representatives of international organizations in the country, NGOs and other important stakeholders to present a balanced view and a thorough analysis of the state of affairs in these areas.CRPM publishes occasional papers that provide quality insight into the issues that matter to Macedonian foreign policy architects and ordinary citizens. (see bellow) In addition, CRPM has also participated in several projects on issues that are essential for responsible policymaking in the field of EU integration and international affairs. The project entitled “Support to Local Government’s Involvement in EU Assistance Programmes Interreg Initiatives in Albania, Croatia and Macedonia,” aimed at improving the capacities of local government actors to attract, absorb and process financial and technical assistance provided by the EU to improve cross-border cooperation. In order to increase the understanding of the intricate institutional setup and complex decision-making process of the European Union, CRPM, in cooperation with the Open Society Institute implemented the project “Knowing the EU and the Process of Policy-Making – Training of NGOs and Journalists as Important Stakeholders in the EU Accession Process”. For the purposes of the project “Analysing and Debating the Future of EU Enlargement – Enlargement Road Show in the Czech Republic, Poland and Latvia on the EU Membership of Ukraine, Macedonia and Turkey” the CRPM worked with a number of partners from EU and non-EU countries to produce and elaborate enlargement policy papers that were discussed and evaluated on the Road Show, and that served to increase the understanding of, and the support for enlargement of the EU.CRPM has plans to expand the scope of its foreign policy research and analysis, to include a wider array of Macedonia’s bilateral and multilateral relations with other countries and international organisations.