Combating Hatred and Intolerance in North Macedonia

Back North Macedonia continues its path towards advancing the rights of persons belonging to communities

Irena BABUSHKOVSKA

Modified 4 Months ago.

North Macedonia continues its path towards advancing the rights of persons belonging to communities

Representatives of institutions, ethnic communities and international partners gathered in Skopje to help shape the revised Action Plan on Advancing the Rights of Persons Belonging to Communities, an important policy document supporting social cohesion and North Macedonia’s EU accession process.

Organised by the Agency for Community Rights Realisation in partnership with the Council of Europe and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the consultation provided a platform for an open dialogue between representatives of various ethnic communities and public stakeholders. Participants engaged in meaningful discussions on societal improvements and the protection of community rights, contributing valuable recommendations toward shaping a more inclusive society.

Opening the event, Dalibor Kitanović, Director of the Agency for Community Rights Realisation, welcomed attendees and underscored the importance of the Forum in addressing key topics. He invited participants to share their perspectives candidly, emphasising the intention to create a revised Action Plan that genuinely reflects the needs and aspirations of all communities in North Macedonia.

H.E Michalis Rokas, EU Ambassador to North Macedonia, welcomed the inclusive and meaningful process and the close cooperation of Council of Europe experts in the process and expressed hope that the plan would help foster cohesion, inclusiveness and mutual understanding in society – as cornerstones of a united and prosperous European future.

Oleg Soldatov, Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje, stressed the importance of the revised Action Plan as a significant milestone and supports North Macedonia’s efforts to fully implement European standards and that he hopes that this consultation process will lead to a cohesive and inclusive Action Plan that will deliver tangible results.

The Forum featured a presentation on the methodology and structure of the revised Action Plan. International and domestic experts, alongside participants, discussed its contents and the current landscape of community rights. A summary of key outcomes was produced, and participants were invited to submit further written feedback for inclusion in the next stage of revision.

This initiative was supported by the action "Combating hatred and intolerance in North Macedonia", under the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme "Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Türkiye".

Skopje, North Macedonia 30 March 2026

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This action offers assistance in improving the record of fighting discrimination, hate speech and hate crime in North Macedonia Combating discrimination and hate speech are essential in protecting human rights and are also very closely connected to the EU assession processes. This action offers unique approach to tackling these areas and supports the strengthening the capacity of the key beneficiaries and stakeholders to better address issues related to anti-discrimination, combating hate speech and protecting rights of LGBTI persons in line with the standards and recommendations set by the Council of Europe – especially those of the European Commission on Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), as well as to support North Macedonia's alignment to European standards in the field of fundamental rights.

What are the objectives of the action?

The main objectives of the action are:

To support institutions’ efforts and reforms to develop harmonised institutional approach to tackle discrimination and hate speech
To increase the awareness of the general population in North Macedonia regarding the dangers of hate speech and the different tools that can be used to prevent and combat it

Who benefits from the action?

Public institutions and related actors in the field in North Macedonia will benefit from the technical assistance and raising awareness initiatives, so they can contribute towards improving the anti-discrimination policies, and policies addressing hate speech and hate crime, as well as its redress mechanisms.

The action final beneficiaries are the people of North Macedonia and the vulnerable communities such as LGBTI, smaller ethnic groups, etc., whose protection of human rights will be improved.

How will the action work?

The action builds on the work done and results achieved under the previous phase of the Horizontal Facility programme in line with the focussed points in the field of racism and intolerance in Europe as outlined in the Annual Reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

The action provides capacity building initiatives adapting existing tools and methodologies of the Council of Europe, technical support as part of North Macedonia’s EU accession process, and awareness raising on combatting discrimination and promoting diversity towards youth and the general population

The action is working with Government representatives in charge of combating discrimination and hate speech; Commission for Prevention and Protection against Discrimination; law enforcement officials, judiciary and legal professionals and civil society organizations and youth activists.

What do we expect to achieve?

Public institutions improve their record of reforms to combat discrimination, hatred and racism in line with European standards
Equality Bodies and relevant institutions in North Macedonia improve their capacity in combating discrimination in line with ECRI standards and recommendations and EU anti-racism action plan.
North Macedonia’s central and local level institutions improve the fight against hate speech and hate crime and strengthens victims’ protection
The people in North Macedonia and in particular vulnerable groups are more aware of the dangers of hate and racism to cohesion of societies and the way to address them.

What is the budget of the action?

The total budget of the actions is 450,000 Euros.

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)

About the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” 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.