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Artificial Intelligence in the Media: Toward Smarter Regulation in North Macedonia

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape industries worldwide, its impact on the media sector has become an increasingly pressing topic. The comprehensive analysis “Artificial Intelligence in the Media of North Macedonia: Toward Common Standards for Regulation and Self-Regulation” prepared in Macedonian and English, constitutes a reference knowledge resource in understanding AI’s role within North Macedonia’s media landscape.

This analysis provides valuable insights into how AI is reshaping media practices and what steps are necessary to ensure ethical standards and human rights protections are maintained. The analysis outlines the steps necessary to uphold ethical standards and protect human rights in this evolving landscape. The analysis assesses the current state of AI in North Macedonia’s media sector, benchmarks it against European standards, and provides actionable recommendations for future regulatory and self-regulatory measures. The analysis prepared with the support of the EU and Council of Europe joint action “Protecting Freedom of Expression and of the Media in North Macedonia (PRO-FREX)” in close collaboration with the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services (AVMU) was presented during the Media Literacy Days 2025 organised in Skopje.

The presentation underscored the importance of the European Union’s and Council of Europe’s guidance on AI, including the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law, as well as the Guidelines on the Responsible Implementation of Artificial Intelligence Systems in Journalism. These frameworks provide essential guidance for regulating AI in the media while ensuring adherence to human rights and democratic principles.

In partnership with AVMU, this analysis aims to steer future policymaking and help shape the development of AI regulations that align with European standards. As North Macedonia’s national media regulator, AVMU plays a pivotal role in ensuring the media landscape remains free, fair, and accountable amid rapid technological advancements.

During the discussions, participants tackled this analysis as a timely reminder of the need for informed, proactive policymaking to address the challenges and opportunities AI presents to the media sector. The insights shared during the event reaffirm the importance of safeguarding media pluralism, journalistic integrity, and public trust in an increasingly digital and automated world.

This analysis was prepared in the framework of the Council of Europe and EU joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and its action on “Protecting Freedom of Expression and of the Media in North Macedonia (PRO-FREX)”, implemented by the Council of Europe Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression.

Skopje, North Macedonia 21 November 2025
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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