Gender Equality at the Core of EU Accession: North Macedonia's Path Forward

At the conference “Gender Equality at the Core of EU Accession: North Macedonia's Path Forward,” organized by the Ministry for European Affairs and UN Women policymakers, institutions, academia, civil society, and international partners emphasized the importance of systematically integrating a gender perspective into every chapter of the accession process. The event highlighted the role of women and girls as drivers of resilient, inclusive, and modern institutions—values essential to the country’s Europeanization.
“Equality does not happen by itself - it is built… That is why, in every reform, law, and investment we undertake, we embed the principles of equality, non-discrimination, and gender inclusion… in our ministry, women and men are equally represented,” emphasized Sanja Bozhinovska, Minister of Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources.
The Ministry for European Affairs underlined that women must be more visible in decision-making processes: “When women and men have equal opportunities to work, create, and be actively involved in decision-making, the whole society becomes stronger and more successful,” stressed Deputy Minister Viktoria Trajkov.
The EU Delegation recalled that gender equality is a “pillar of democratic governance and economic progress” and reaffirmed that North Macedonia has a strong partner in the Union in turning commitments into concrete results, stated Ben Nupnau, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to North Macedonia
UN Women presented the work carried out through the Gender Equality Facility, which over the last five years has resulted in ten comprehensive gender analyses in key areas of the accession chapters, the strengthening of institutional architecture, the development of a gender statistics web platform, and enhanced dialogue with civil society and youth, noted Vesna Ivanovikj-Castarede, Head of UN Women Office in North Macedonia.
Discussions at the conference also underscored the need to integrate gender considerations into every national policy and reform related to the negotiations—from justice, public administration, and education to environment, rural development, and public finance.
The core message of the event: North Macedonia must develop a comprehensive Roadmap for a gender-responsive EU accession process, aligned with European standards, ensuring that gender equality is systematically embedded, financed, and monitored throughout the entire accession journey as a strategic investment in better governance, sustainable development, and an inclusive society.