In an article on the Euractiv website, Bronwyn Jones argues that until North Macedonia can turn EU funds into cleaner air in the country’s towns and cities, environmental reforms will remain not just a public health challenge, but a test of its readiness for membership.
How air pollution tests North Macedonia’s EU accession credibility
Air pollution has become one of the deadliest public health threats in North Macedonia, clouding the country’s EU accession path and casting doubt on whether years of European funding are translating into cleaner air on the ground.
According to the European Environment Agency air pollution is linked to at least 4,175 deaths a year – around 17% of all mortality – the highest per-capita toll in Europe. Data from UNICEF further shows that one in nine infant deaths is associated with poor air quality.
In the capital Skopje, winter smog regularly pushes the city up the global rankings of the most polluted urban areas, driven by household coal and wood heating, ageing infrastructure and weak enforcement of environmental rules.
Despite receiving more than €32 million annually in European Union support to help curb pollution, progress has been slow. Weak institutions, unreliable monitoring, political resistance and disinformation campaigns have repeatedly stalled reforms.
Credibility
For Brussels, the issue is not only about public health, but North Macedonia’s credibility as a candidate for EU accession: if Skopje cannot align with European environmental standards , it raises broader questions over whether conditionality and direct funding are delivering meaningful results.
Environmental reform is not just a public health issue for North Macedonia – it is a core condition of EU membership. Under Chapter 27 of the European Union’s environmental acquis, candidate countries must not only align their laws with EU standards, but also demonstrate they can enforce them. This is often the decisive hurdle in late-stage accession talks.
In its latest progress report, the European Commission warned that despite significant funding, reforms continue to be hampered by a lack of ownership among authorities, weak coordination and limited administrative capacity.
Skopje announced a series of new steps last year, including a tender for a waste treatment plant and a real-time air quality monitoring portal. Brussels argues EU grants are helping deliver results and unlock additional financing.
But analysts say implementation remains the weak link.
A lack of enforcement
“The problem isn’t formal alignment but enforcement,” said Anamarija Velinovska of the Institute for Democracy Societas Civilis Skopje, warning that persistent gaps are eroding confidence in the country’s ability to apply EU rules in practice – a shortfall that could slow progress as accession talks move into their final stages.
The EU’s largest environmental project in North Macedonia – the €10 million EU4CleanAir programme – targets household heating, public transport and air-quality monitoring. Yet after three decades of worsening pollution, reliable public data remains scarce.
In its latest accession report, the European Commission warned that only “limited steps” had been taken to strengthen the country’s weak monitoring capacity, with the EU executive citing gaps in maintaining, operating and expanding existing systems.
The problem is structural rather than technical, Velinovska said.
Monitoring stations are in place, but staff shortages, outdated equipment and inconsistent upkeep leave datasets patchy and unreliable.
Without credible figures, policy making becomes guesswork. Many EU-funded schemes remain short-term and project-based, with little integration into national institutions, she added.
A lack of resources
Brussels argues longer-term investments under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance and the EU4CleanAir programme will address those gaps. But structural constraints persist.
Poverty remains a major obstacle. With one of Europe’s lowest GDPs, many households rely on cheap but highly polluting ways of keeping warm, because cleaner heating options are simply unaffordable. Government estimates attribute nearly half of air pollution to home heating – creating a vicious cycle where environmental rules clash with economic reality.
Without tackling energy poverty – a key driver of air pollution – efforts to curb appear destined to fall short.
Disinformation campaigns have also stalled EU-backed projects.
The information war
Goran Rizaov, editor-in-chief of Metamorphosis Foundation’s fact-checking outlet Meta.mk, said local opposition is often fuelled by false claims that derail long-planned investments.
One example is the delayed waste management plant in Sveti Nikole in the North of the country. Intended as an answer to the problem of illegal landfilling, it would serve over 370,000 people, handling 112,000 tons of waste each year, and be aligned with EU environmental standards.
But Macedonians have been exposed to misleading narratives, including the idea that Europe would ship its trash and medical waste to be incinerated at the site, polluting nearby villages. Such claims have been amplified by local politicians, effectively stalling the project for a decade, according to Rizaov’s fact checking.
“Although EU funding is available, disinformation has brought activities to a halt,” Rizaov said, warning that delays have driven up costs and undermined public trust.
Prime minister Hristijan Mickoski acknowledged the political resistance in September, warning that some local leaders are opposing waste facilities in their constituencies for electoral gain, despite the need for disposal sites.
EU officials told Euractiv that the delays also stem from the project’s complexity, as well as disruptions during the covid pandemic and rising construction costs following the 2022 energy crisis.
Until North Macedonia can turn EU funds into cleaner air in the country’s towns and cities, environmental reforms will remain not just a public health challenge, but a test of its readiness for membership.
External link
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 