On 28 June 2022, the EU funded project “Technical assistance for improving the enabling environment for Civil Society Organisations in the Republic of North Macedonia” in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, organised a workshop to present the key findings of the comparative overview of good practices from the region and the EU on legislation on associations and foundations.
The purpose of the comparative overview is to support the working group for drafting the amendments to the Law on Associations and Foundations, by providing input on how different topics are regulated in other countries, and identifying best practices that are applicable in the national context.
The workshop was attended by Mr. Agim Nuhiu, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Justice and the State Secretary Mr. Muhamed Toci. In his introductory remark, Mr. Nuhiu reconfirmed the readiness of the Ministry of Justice to provide all needed support to the working group as well as their full dedication to ensure that the process will be completed in an inclusive and transparent manner. Ms. Irena Ivanova, Program Manager at the European Union Delegation in North Macedonia emphasised the importance of due coordination of parallel law revision processes while reiterating their commitment to a continuous assistance to the Working Group.
The findings of the comparative overview that were presented and discussed included issues related to the establishment and the status of organisations, the non-partisan principle, the funding and assets of the organisations, the status of public benefit organisations as well as the overall enabling environment on civil society organisations in the country. The comparative overview contributed in inciting a productive debate among the members of the working group and identification of potential comparative practices that might be applicable in the local context.
In the upcoming period the “Technical Assistance project for improving the enabling environment for Civil Society Organisations in the Republic of North Macedonia” will continue to support the processes for amending the legislation related to the enabling environment on CSOs.
