EU for Human Rights: Mainstreaming Non-discrimination Concepts in Legislation

The “EU for Human Rights: Mainstreaming Non-discrimination Concepts in Legislation” project aims to strengthen the legal environment and reinforce the implementation of non-discriminatory practices in North Macedonia. It focuses on recurring challenges that arise in countries in the course of introducing equal treatment standards to meet international obligations or to align with transnational integration processes, usually after the enactment of a general anti-discrimination law.

The specific objectives of the project are to harmonize North Macedonia’s laws in line with Article 48 of the Law on Prevention and Protection against Discrimination (LPPD) as well as to strengthen the capacities of national authorities and policy-makers in the areas of prevention and protection against all forms of discrimination. The latter involves relevant institutions in North Macedonia, even if they are not explicitly focused on anti-discrimination, such as agencies working for the protection of minorities.

To ensure effective implementation of the project, PMCG, as part of an international consortium led by B&S Europe, is implementing the following activities:

• Desk research on laws related to equality, anti-discrimination, and procedures for protecting against discrimination, specifically focusing on the areas listed in Article 3 of the LPPD.
• Comparative analysis of laws in the same area, including laws related to the same subject matter, that can be viewed as part of a shared framework for a particular issue.
• Comprehensive analysis of laws not only in terms of the presence of non-discrimination provisions, but also ensuring that these provisions align with the LPPD.
• Providing recommendations for affirmative legal measures in sectoral laws in order to achieve equality and non-discrimination.
• A series of consultations, public debates, and working meetings with legal practitioners, lawyers, judges, prosecutors, social workers, civil society organizations, and other relevant stakeholders. These events aim to help to harmonize laws and improve the understanding of non-discrimination principles to ensure effective application in practice.
• Drafting amendments to the laws to ensure their harmonization with the LPPD.

All activities are designed to strengthen the legal environment in North Macedonia by coordinating laws and increasing the general understanding of non-discrimination principles. By doing so, the project will contribute to the creation of a more just and equal society in North Macedonia.