Proposals for the improvement of a current state – Openness of the local self-government in the region and North Macedonia

In cooperation with the partners from the “ACTION SEE” regional NGO network, Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society prepared the policy paper in which we analyze the level of transparency, openness, accountability of the local self-government in the Western Balkans region.

Local government in the Republic of North Macedonia meets only 25% of the indicators of openness, analyzed in the areas of transparency, accessibility, integrity and efficiency. This average assessment, which is well below the average of the region, shows a low level of engagement and commitment by municipalities to meet the openness standards. This index shows an alarming state of openness of the local government, given the essence of the existence of municipalities – they should serve the citizens, base transparency on open data and information, have clear procedures for participatory decision-making as well as clear procedures for obtaining public services, but also to explain in detail for what have they used the public money available to them and how they have improved community life.

You can read the entire document on this link.

Evaluating North Macedonia’s Media Law Reforms—A Partial Step Toward European Standards

North Macedonia is undergoing reforms to its media legislation, aiming to align with European Union (EU) standards. The Metamorphosis Foundation welcomes the initiative of the Government of Republic of North Macedonia to align national media legislation with European standards, particularly in the context of Chapter 23 of the EU acquis and the European Media Freedom […]

DISINFORMATION TRENDS AND NARRATIVES IN THE WESTERN BALKAN REGION, MEDIA MONITORING REPORT OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2024

In the final quarter of 2024, the information environment in the Western Balkans was heavily saturated with disinformation, particularly anti-democratic narratives featuring anti-Western and anti-EU rhetoric. These were largely fueled by the region’s domestic political developments, from protests to electoral cycles, as well as the U.S. presidential election. Although disinformation about Russia’s war against Ukraine […]

STATE FUNDING IN NORTH MACEDONIA: MAKING THE SYSTEM FAIRER, STRONGER, AND MORE TRANSPARENT

This policy document builds on the findings of an in-depth study on paid political advertising during the 2024 parliamentary elections.[1] It aims to identify sustainable and realistic, long-term solutions to improve the system of political financing in the country. And, whilst we have focused on the use of indirect state funding through media – inclusive […]