UNOPS has supported the Government of North Macedonia in addressing opening benchmarks to advance EU accession negotiations. Based on comparative experiences of neighboring countries, such as Serbia and Montenegro, the majority of opening benchmarks referred to the development and adoption of policy documents – roadmaps, strategies and action plans – to further trace the reform path aimed at implementation of the recommendations from the EC screening reports.

The main goal of the assignment has been to strengthen the capacity of the Secretariat of European Affairs (SEA) to improve and unify the process of development of policy documents, including both negotiations-related documents and national policy documents. The UNOPS expert has also addressed the importance of introducing inclusive and transparent practices in policy planning in the context of EU integration.

First, the UNOPS advisor produced a Gap Analysis of the existing national policy planning processes. This led to the development of Guidelines to improve, unify and better coordinate the processes of public policy development, which directly influence the quality and consistency of methodologies used to develop policy documents in the EU negotiation process.

Next, the K4R programme developed a Training Toolkit to ensure an efficient and comprehensive approach to training of SEA coordinators in charge of developing policy documents required by the EU negotiation process. Using this Toolkit, the K4R expert delivered on-the-job training for SEA coordinators to strengthen their skills to ensure alignment of each policy document with the EC methodological requirements, as well as methodological alignment of the documents inter-alia.

Finally, the K4R advisor supported SEA coordinators in finalization of several policy documents, such as the Action Plan for persons belonging to the national minorities or communities, the Rule of Law Roadmap and others. The methodological approach to align the Action Plan with the RoL Roadmap was presented to decision makers, including the Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration.

The work of UNOPS has ensured methodological and procedural coherence in shaping public policies geared towards EU accession and sustainable development. While the prepared Guidelines underline the importance of conducting consultative process and public debates prior to the adoption of policy documents, the work ensures that the needs of marginalized groups, such as women, persons with disabilities, minorities etc. will be addressed more effectively, advancing a more stable, just and inclusive society. Furthermore, methodological and procedural coherence in transposition of EU acquis into national legislation further ensures that no policy document shall be developed without assessing its environment and climate impact – benefiting future generations.

“Peer learning based on sharing experiences from the neighboring countries that have already gone through the same stages of the negotiation process appears to be the best approach to address a pluralism of policy documents, both in the context of the EU accession negotiations and at the national level, coupled with overburdening of professionals in public administration. Macedonian colleagues showed their readiness to learn and apply newly adopted skills in addressing challenges arising from the daily dynamics of policy planning.”

– UNOPS Senior Advisor on horizontal policy planning

The assignment advances SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities by promoting a coherent horizontal policy planning system, which systematically takes into consideration social inclusion and equality.

The assignment supports SDG 13: Climate Action by ensuring that no policy document shall be developed and adopted without assessing its impact on climate change.

Finally, the assignment supports SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions by enhancing the Government’s ability to draft policy documents in a transparent and inclusive manner.