Back AI Meets Human Rights: Strengthening Data Protection in North Macedonia

AI Meets Human Rights: Strengthening Data Protection in North Macedonia

Аs Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become an integral part of everyday life, AI systems increasingly rely on vast amounts of personal data, raising important questions about privacy, transparency, accountability, and the protection of fundamental rights.  In this context, a one-day training on AI and personal data protection was organised for the staff of the Personal Data Protection Agency of North Macedonia, bringing together experts and practitioners to address emerging regulatory and practical challenges.

The activity organised by the EU and Council of Europe joint action on “Protecting Freedom of Expression and of the Media in North Macedonia (PRO-FREX)”, aimed to strengthen the institutional capacities of domestic actors in addressing AI-related challenges in the evolving digital and regulatory landscape.

The activity focused on the implications of AI for data protection within the European regulatory framework, with particular attention to the EU AI Act and the Council of Europe’s 2024 Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. Through expert-led sessions, participants explored how national data protection authorities can ensure compliance with European standards while safeguarding personal data and fundamental rights in the context of AI-driven systems.

Key topics discussed included the regulation of high-risk AI systems, transparency and accountability requirements, data protection impact assessments, consent, automated decision-making, and the risks of algorithmic bias. The discussions also examined the relationship between AI and the General Data Protection Regulation, highlighting the crucial role of data protection authorities in overseeing and enforcing these standards at the national level.

The training was delivered by international consultants from the Dutch Data Protection Agency, who shared their expertise and practical experience in AI governance and data protection. Their contributions provided participants with valuable insights into implementation challenges and good practices, while also fostering opportunities for future cooperation between the Dutch and North Macedonian data protection authorities.

The activity was organised in the framework of the action “Protecting Freedom of Expression and Media in North Macedonia (PRO-FREX)”, part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.

Skopje, North Macedonia 20 January 2026
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The action ‘Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in North Macedonia’ (PRO-FREX) enables the beneficiary institutions and civil society organisations in North Macedonia to progress towards meeting their reform agendas in the field of freedom of expression and freedom of media, in line with the European standards.

The action is implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye running from 2023 to 2026 and aims to contribute to an improved environment for the exercise, in particular by journalists and media actors, of their rights of freedom of expression, in a more pluralistic and safer media environment, in line with the standards as set by Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

What are the goals and objectives of the action?

  • to promote freedom of expression and freedom of the media and to improve the application of European standards in the field.
  • to enhance the protection of journalists and contribute to the creation of an enabling, safer and more pluralistic media environment.
  • to strengthen the skills and knowledge of the actors who are responsible for applying the standards on freedom of expression as part of their daily work.

Who benefits from the action?

  • independent state bodies in the field of media regulation (the Agency for Audio and Audio-visual Media Services) and access to information and protection of information (the Agency for Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information and the Personal Data Protection Agency).

  • associations of journalists and media actors in North Macedonia.

  • professionals such as judges, prosecutors, police officers, lawyers, broadcasters, journalists, other media actors.
  • the people of North Macedonia.

How does the action work?

  • by providing legal advice to improve the alignment of legal and regulatory frameworks to the relevant European standards;
  • by providing research and policy support to institutions and civil society organisations in the field;
  • by raising awareness among duty bearers and rights holders of the relevant European standards;
  • by offering capacity-building for the various professional categories, anchored in the European standards and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR);
  • by facilitating regional dialogue and exchange of good practices, in synergy with the regional action.

What do we expect to achieve?

  • The legal framework will be improved and the judicial application of the European standards on freedom of expression, access to information, data protection and protection of journalists will be enhanced;
  • the Media Regulatory Authority, the Personal Data Protection Agency, the Agency for Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information, and the public broadcaster implement changes in their policies and practices in line with European standards;
  • Journalists’ safety will be strengthened in terms of addressing threats and attacks, as a result of the established domestic legal mechanisms to protect freedom of expression, in line with European standards.

What is the budget of the action?

  • The total budget of the action is 680,000 EUR
  • The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 Million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).

How to get more information?

 

About Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye 2023-2026” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans’ Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law, and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.


 

PROJECT CONTACTS

Ana Funa                                     Project Assistant                        +389 2 3100 336                     contact