In the Western Balkans, statelessness leaves thousands of Roma in the shadows invisible in society, excluded from education, healthcare, and jobs, and denied the most basic right: to legally exist. The region has made strides, but turning commitments into lasting change is the next milestone. Ending Roma statelessness requires regional cooperation, targeted investment, and inclusive, cross-border solutions. Together with the European Network on Statelessness (ENS) and its members in the Western Balkans, under the Roma Integration III Joint Programme of the EU and Council of Europe, we present seven new policy papers offering practical solutions to ensure every Roma person can claim their identity, rights, and future.

The policy papers cover:

• A regional overview
• Albania
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Kosovo*
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia
• Serbia (coming soon)

In recent years, North Macedonia has taken important steps to address statelessness, with particular attention to members of the Roma community. These efforts have resulted in significant progress, including the resolution of individual cases and the issuance of first-time birth certificates to nearly 500 previously unregistered people.

Several legal and policy measures have contributed to these results:

• Reforms to the Law on Civil Registry and related legislation in 2023.
• Actions included in the Strategy for Inclusion of Roma 2022–2030.
• Publication of a Roadmap for ending statelessness in North Macedonia, developed by UNHCR and OSCE.
• Political commitments within the EU Enlargement Framework, the Global Compact on Refugees, and the Global Alliance to End Statelessness.

These developments demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring the right to legal identity and preventing new cases of statelessness.

Despite this progress, several issues remain:

• North Macedonia has not yet introduced a statelessness determination procedure or protection status under the 1954 Convention.
• Certain safeguards in the Citizenship Law are still not fully harmonised with the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
• Many individual cases remain unresolved, requiring further attention.
• Stronger coordination between institutions — particularly the Ministry of Interior, the Directorate for Registry Records, and Centres for Social Work — is needed to ensure timely identification and resolution of cases.

A more effective system for birth registration, residence regulation, and naturalisation will be crucial in addressing these challenges.

North Macedonia’s recent positive legal reforms must now be matched by strong and consistent investment to achieve effective implementation, ensuring that all children are registered at birth and that legal aid remains available to support those at risk of statelessness.

For more details, please access the policy brief on North Macedonia at the following link: Resources - Roma integration – Phase III.