North Macedonia’s formal accession to the Single Euro Payments Area (“SEPA”) marks a significant step toward deeper European financial integration. Following the European Payments Council’s (“EPC”) decision in early 2025 to extend SEPA’s geographical scope to include the Republic of North Macedonia, commercial banks and other payment service providers (“PSPs”) based in the country are now eligible to join the SEPA Credit Transfer (“SCT”) scheme. This milestone will enable citizens and businesses in the Republic of North Macedonia to send and receive euro payments under the same efficient and standardized conditions enjoyed across the SEPA area.

In the last few months, the Commission for Protection of Competition of the Republic of North Macedonia (the “Commission”) has stepped up its enforcement efforts of antitrust rules and food supply chain practices in the country.

Expropriation is the process of taking or limiting ownership and other property rights over real estate for the purpose of realizing a public interest as defined by law. In the Republic of North Macedonia, this process is regulated by a specific Law on Expropriation.

North Macedonia has taken a significant step in regulating market competition with the enactment of the Law on the Prohibition of Unfair Trade Practices in the Supply Chain of Agricultural and Food Products (Law).

CEE Legal Matters is proud to introduce the latest in our Comparative Guides series. This one focuses on Bribery & Corruption in CEE.

Contributed by Law Office Emil Miftari.

CMS has advised Synlab International on the sale of its business activities in Eastern Europe – including its entities in Croatia, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Turkiye, and Cyprus – to Medicover Group. Schoenherr advised Medicover.

On 6 March 2025, the European Payments Council officially accepted North Macedonia’s application and included North Macedonia in the Single Euro Payments Area (“SEPA”). With this, North Macedonia became the 39^th member of SEPA.

On the evening of April 1, 2025, the Deal of the Year Awards Banquet brought together, under the same roof, over 200 top-tier lawyers from Central and Eastern Europe's leading law firms and General Counsel from across the region in Prague.

Unfair trade practices refer to deceptive, unethical, or manipulative actions carried out by businesses, that violate consumer protection laws and harm the consumers. These practices contradict professional conduct and significantly distort the economic interests and decision-making of the average consumer, often targeting vulnerable groups.

Polenak Law Firm founder Nikola Polenak has passed away.

The Commission for Protection of the Competition of North Macedonia (CPC) has significantly intensified its enforcement activities in the food retail sector, signalling a stricter regulatory approach toward potential anti-competitive behaviour.

On 5 February 2025, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of North Macedonia (“Court”) annulled the Solidarity Tax Law (“Law”), ruling that it violated several key constitutional principles.

Law Office Lazarov Attorney at Law Gordana Susuleska-Itic talks about banking and finance in 2025 in North Macedonia.

Law Office Lazarov Attorney At Law Anja Stefanovska talks about dispute resolution in North Macedonia in 2025.

With the rollout of 5G technology, North Macedonia will have to clear a number of legal and regulatory hurdles before benefitting from its potential to transform industries, improve connectivity, and drive economic growth. The country’s telecommunications framework faces the dual challenge of accommodating this groundbreaking technology while ensuring alignment with EU standards.

In recent years, it has become increasingly common for companies in North Macedonia to choose arbitration as the method for resolving disputes in cooperation agreements, instead of judicial proceedings, which usually take considerably longer. However, the Macedonian legislature has not fully regulated all the legal aspects related to arbitration procedures.

CEE Legal Matters is proud to introduce the latest in our Comparative Guides series. This one focuses on Real Estate in CEE.