Support for North Macedonia’s European Union membership has strengthened significantly in 2025, with public opinion showing reduced apathy and a more mature understanding of European integration as a process of reform and alignment with EU standards, according to a poll published by Institute for Democracy Societas Civilis on January 28.

According to the poll conducted in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies, 71% of citizens would vote in favour of EU membership if a decision were made next week, up nearly 10 percentage points from 2024.

The number of undecided and apathetic respondents has also declined, signalling growing public engagement.

Among ethnic Macedonians, support has jumped to 71%, a 15-point increase from last year, narrowing the traditional gap with ethnic Albanians, whose support remains high.

In parallel, 51% of respondents now see EU integration primarily as harmonization with EU legislation and standards, up from 33% in 2024, reflecting a more nuanced understanding of the process.

However, only 24% of citizens support the constitutional changes required to advance EU negotiations, with significant differences between ethnic groups—57% of ethnic Albanians in favour, compared to just 11% of ethnic Macedonians.

North Macedonia needs constitutional changes to formally recognise Bulgarians in the Constitution, a requirement set by the EU to address minority rights and resolve bilateral issues with Bulgaria, allowing the country to advance its EU accession negotiations.

Around 62% believe progress has been made in the past year, while 40% assess that the country is ready for EU membership.

The findings, based on a nationally representative survey of 1,003 respondents conducted from October 22 to November 5, were presented in Parliament by Vice President Antonio Milososki, Marko Trosanovski of the Institute for Democracy, and Daniel Braun of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.