Von der Leyen: Macedonia Is Close to Opening the First “Fundamentals” Cluster, but the Constitutional Changes and Reform Documents Come First
The President of the European Commission said in Skopje on October 2 that Macedonia must take “the key step”; the “Fundamentals” cluster covers chapters 23, 24, 5, 18 and 32.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Skopje on October 2 that Macedonia must take “the key step” toward opening the first negotiating cluster with the EU. According to Racin, this means implementing the agreed constitutional changes, which the EU Council in its 2022 conclusions ties to the next intergovernmental conference and the opening of negotiating chapters.
The first cluster, “Fundamentals,” groups chapters 23 (judiciary and fundamental rights), 24 (justice, freedom and security), 5 (public procurement), 18 (statistics) and 32 (financial control). In practice it also covers democratic institutions, public administration reform and economic criteria. It is opened first and closed last, so progress in it sets the pace of the whole process.
Beyond the constitutional changes, according to the documents Racin analyzes, finalized roadmaps for the rule of law and public administration are needed, a roadmap for the functioning of democratic institutions and an action plan for the rights of minorities and communities. In the rule of law, the requirements are judicial independence and integrity, strengthening the Judicial Council, fighting corruption and organized crime, better investigations and asset confiscation in high-profile cases, and a new Criminal Code aligned with EU law. The Commission rates public administration as “moderately prepared.”
Positions on the constitutional changes differ. According to Kurir, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski proposes that the changes enter into force only after accession talks conclude, which Sofia rejects. Racin writes that “one step” in fact hides a longer list of reforms and that opening the cluster is a start, not confirmation that reforms are complete. As a comparison it notes that Ukraine and Moldova opened the first cluster in 2026 and Albania met the transitional benchmarks for “Fundamentals” in May.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 18, 2026
