Overall assessment

• Author: Biljana Kotevska
• Pages: 72-74

72

12 Overall assessment

The following transposition problems were mentioned in this report:

1. Lack of effective legal remedies;

2. Lack of clear recognition that gender equality legislation should also include

transwomen;

3. Sanctions are not effective, dissuasive and proportionate;

4. While both the Ombudperson and the equality body have competences and work with

gender equality cases, there is no independent body dealing with gender equality

that provides visibility to the gender equality mandate.

Overall, the transposition and implementation of the EU gende r equality acquis in North

Macedonia, as a candidate country, is improving. Considering the relatively recent change

in context, the developments are positive. Namely, unlike in the period of th e previou s

government (with a ten-year rule), which supported anti- gender-equality sentiments and

a wave of re-traditionalisation of society,185 gender equality is now gaining visibility and is

present in many drafted and adopted public policy documents, includin g documents

harmonising national and EU law 186 and in the strategic documen ts of relevant

ministries.187 The overall climate is improving, too, with gender equality being more

prominent in pu blic speech. Some of the most serious and damaging legacies of the

previous government are being removed and remedied (for example, in relation to

women’s reproductive rights, new legislation regarding the termination of pregnancy was

adopted in 2019 which revised the damaging 2013 law and made steps towards returning

the autonomy of women’s freedom of choiceд.

The main problem still remains the gap between the enactment and enforcement of

legislation. verall, information on the results of th e implementation of the strategic

documents and plans i s still lacking. By the cut-off dat e for this report (1 January 2020),

the 2017 annual report of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy on the activities

undertaken and the progress achieved in establishing equal opportunities f or women and

men in the Republic of Macedonia188 was still the most recent one. Another remaining

burning issue is the fundin g of gende r equality activities. Most of the funding is acquired

via projects. This poses challenges for the sustainability of the activities. State funding

remains low and the main pool of financial resources comes from donors from outsid e the

country.

Multiple discrimination remains an issue for many women: Roma women; women living in

rural areas, and women with disabilities most prominently. Wh atever the statistics, Roma

women fair much worse than the average for women in the country. A 2017 study of Roma

women’s participation in the labour force presented results from the opinions of Roma

women; persons who work in the state bodies tasked t o assist persons with employment

and related issues, as well as the units of local self-government and the local coordinators

185 On thisз seeз for example: Miškovska Kajevskaз A. гнлмуд ‘Suspending democracy, harming gender

equality’. In Verloo, M. (Ed.), Varieties of opposition to gender equality in Europe (pp. 195–212). New York:

Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

186 Government of the Republic of Macedonia (2017),       

  гд  нлмт – 2019 (National Programme on Adoption of the Acquis of the

European Union (NPAA) Revised 2017-2019), available at:

www.sobranie.mk/content/%D0%9D%D0%A1%D0%95%D0%98/00_NPAA2017_Vlada_31.07.2017.pdf.

187 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (2017),        

 нлмт-нлмф  (Strategic plan of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy for 2017-2019),

available at: www.mtsp.gov.mk/content/pdf/strategii/Strateski_plan_MTSP%20za%202017-

2019%20kv.pdf.

188 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy,       

             нлмт

    нлмф  (Annual report on the activities undertaken and progress achieved

towards establishing equal opportunities for women and men in the Republic of Macedonia in 2017 with

Recommendations for 2019), available at: http://www.mtsp.gov.mk/rodova-ramnopravnost.nspx.