The majority of young people in North Macedonia have a positive perception of the European Union, but nearly half do not believe that their country will ever become a member of the EU.
These findings come from the publication “Confronting Youth Euroscepticism in the Western Balkans: The Case of North Macedonia,” which highlights a growing sense of skepticism toward the integration process and a lack of trust in domestic institutions.
According to the survey, 41% of young respondents perceive the EU positively, 24% negatively, while 35% hold a neutral stance. The report notes that the gap between hope and reality, interest and mistrust, as well as local challenges, constitutes the core of youth euroscepticism.
The authors of the publication call for urgent, coordinated, and long-term action that recognizes young people as creators, not merely as an audience.
Among respondents, 46.5% do not believe that North Macedonia will ever become an EU member, while 35.8% think that membership might happen only in a distant future. Only 6.7% believe the country could join within the next five years.
As the main obstacle to integration, 84.6% of young people cited corruption, followed by lack of trust in institutions and bilateral disputes. The report emphasizes that youth view the domestic political environment as the key barrier to progress toward the EU and expect concrete institutional steps to combat corruption—seen as fundamental for improving living conditions and curbing emigration.
The document also underlines that the EU enlargement process cannot succeed without the active involvement of young people, urging for stronger partnerships between the EU and candidate countries by including youth in European programs, platforms, and decision-making processes.
The survey was conducted at the end of June 2025 in cooperation with the student platform “Studentarija”, including 1,000 young people from North Macedonia, the majority being university and postgraduate students.
The project was carried out by the Institute for Good Governance and Euro-Atlantic Perspectives (IDUEP) in Skopje, in cooperation with the European Centre for Excellence (ECE) in Brussels and the Friedrich Naumann Liberal Foundation.