This evaluation has two overarching objectives. Firstly, to analyse the extent to which and in which manner the support of the European Union (and of the European Commission in particular) has contributed to the overall political, economic and social development in North Macedonia in the period 2014-2020. In particular, the evaluation aims to:

• assess the contribution to the reform process in the framework of the country’s EU accession process;
• assess the design, implementation, responsiveness, results and impact of the EU support.

And secondly, to identify key lessons and produce recommendations in order to inform decision makers on how to improve the European Union’s current and future strategies, programmes and actions with regard to North Macedonia, and in particular to inform future decision making choices related to the programming of Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) III in North Macedonia.
The thematic scope of the evaluation focus is on priority reforms in i) Democracy and Governance, ii) Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights, and iii) Economic development and Social cohesion. It will include IPA national programmes; the various implementation modalities, instruments and tools utilised; and the policy dialogue that has been taking place at different levels. The evaluation also considers the contribution of multi country programmes in the areas of transport and environment in North Macedonia