Using an innovative methodology, the Investment Reform Index 2010 (IRI 2010) monitors investment-related policy reforms in the economies of South-East Europe and compares these to best practices in the OECD area. Based on inputs from governments, the private sector, independent experts and multilateral organisations active in the region, the IRI 2010 assesses policies and institutional settings in eight fields of policy critical to domestic and foreign investors. These are: investment policy and promotion; human capital development; trade policy and facilitation; access to finance; regulatory reform and parliamentary processes; infrastructure for investment; tax policy analysis; and SME policy. For the economies examined, the IRI 2010 provides an independent and rigorous assessment of investment-related policy settings and reform against international good practice, guidance for policy reform and development and an evidence base with which to facilitate prioritisation of donor activities supporting investment and growth.

Educational work is a key element for both human capital formation and the promotion of peace and democratic values. It has therefore been identified as one of the priorities of the Stability Pact. The OECD was asked to be Co-ordinator for “General Education Policy and System Change” within the Education and Youth Task Force, and to carry out “Thematic Reviews of Education Policy” in the countries of the region. The main outcome of this project is a series of reports which provide both country overviews and a regional overview. These reports offer an analysis of the education system and address issues and barriers to reform and recommendations. The recommendations are designed to be of use for national policy-makers and to assist Stability Pact partner countries and institutions target regional assistance in order to achieve the goal of supporting South Eastern Europe towards European integration. These reports are part of the OECD’s ongoing co-operation with non-member economies around the world.

Les travaux dans le domaine de l’éducation, retenus comme l’une des priorités du Pacte de stabilité, sont un volet essentiel pour former le capital humain et promouvoir la paix et les valeurs démocratiques.  Il a été demandé à l’OCDE d’assurer la coordination des activités du Groupe spécial sur l’éducation et la jeunesse dans le domaine de la politique générale de l’éducation et de la transformation des systèmes éducatifs et de réaliser des examens thématiques des politiques nationales d’éducation dans les pays de cette région.  Ce projet a abouti à l’établissement de rapports sur chacun des pays et à une synthèse régionale qui offrent une analyse des systèmes éducatifs, des problèmes en jeu et des obstacles à la réforme.  Ils présentent des recommandations, utiles aux décideurs publics nationaux, qui devraient permettre aux pays et organismes partenaires du Pacte de stabilité de mieux cibler l’aide régionale afin de faciliter l’intégration européenne des pays de l’Europe du Sud-Est.  Cette étude s'inscrit dans le cadre des relations de coopération que l'OCDE entretient avec les économies non membres de diverses régions du monde.

Since the early 2000s, the Republic of North Macedonia has improved access to education and steps have been taken to strengthen inclusiveness. However, educational attainment and performance continue to be strongly influenced by a student’s background. Learning levels remain among the lowest in Europe and the Western Balkans. This reflects systemic challenges of low funding, unstable governance and limited capacity. Placing student learning at the centre of North Macedonia’s evaluation and assessment processes can help to focus the system onto raising standards for all.

This chapter looks at how the Republic North Macedonia evaluates teaching practice and supports teachers to improve through its teacher appraisal system. The country has made several attempts to create more robust methods for teacher selection and promotion, however efforts have not been sustained and the proposed merit-based career system has still not been implemented. Creating a more effective teacher appraisal system will help to address many of gaps in teacher policy. As a priority, North Macedonia should implement its existing proposals for a merit-based career structure and teacher standards. An essential complement will be greater investment in professional development, within and outside school, so that teachers can access learning opportunities to become expert teachers as they progress in their career.

Since the last OECD review of the Republic of North Macedonia (hereafter referred to as “North Macedonia”) in 2003, more children now participate in education and remain in school for longer. Despite these improvements, low learning outcomes indicate that many young adults in North Macedonia leave education without mastering the basic competencies for life and work. Inequities remain large and children from minority communities are still less likely to access quality education and to successfully progress through the system.

This chapter looks at how the assessment system of the Republic of North Macedonia measures and shapes student learning. Classroom assessments are not based on established, national learning standards, and therefore do not convey reliable and meaningful information on student achievement. Teachers predominantly rely on summative assessment practices, which are limited to a narrow range of lower-order tasks, thereby providing students with little quality feedback. This chapter suggests that North Macedonia develop national learning standards to provide students with more consistent and accurate information of their attainment. It will also be critical to support and encourage formative assessment practices to support teachers monitor student learning.

The system evaluation of the Republic of North Macedonia is at a nascent stage of development and, despite progress, still lacks basic components, such as clear objectives for improving learning outcomes and a national assessment that would support efforts to raise achievement. This chapter suggests that North Macedonia enhance its data collection and management to provide timely and high quality data with which to feed information into decision-making. The chapter also suggests how the assessment can be developed to monitor educational progress and provide formative information for improvement. Another priority is to elevate system evaluation to a key function in North Macedonia’s education system, by creating greater institutional capacity.

The OECD last reviewed the education policies of the Republic of North Macedonia in 2003 (OECD, 2003[1]). Today, sixteen years on, more children and young people participate in education and remain in school for longer. There have also been major institutional improvements since 2003, with the creation of separate government agencies that now concentrate professional capacity for key evaluation and assessment functions. This includes the National Examinations Centre (NEC), which manages the country’s state matura examination that is recognised across the region for its innovative design and integrity. It also includes the State Education Inspectorate (SEI), which leads and supports regular external and internal school evaluations in North Macedonia. School evaluations focus on many of the aspects of the school environment that research recognises to be essential for learning.

The Republic of North Macedonia has made remarkable progress in expanding access to education and strengthening institutional capacity. Yet, the majority of youth leave school without mastering basic competencies for life and work, and students’ socio-economic background continues to influence learning outcomes. The education sector in North  Macedonia requires strong and strategic reform to improve quality and equity, so that all young people in the country reach their full potential and realise their aspirations.

This chapter looks at how the Republic of North Macedonia can align school evaluation with its core purposes of accountability and improvement. The country has developed a robust school evaluation framework, however it has not been fully implemented or appropriated by stakeholders. Rather than encouraging a culture of reflection in the country, school evaluation focuses largely on compliance. This is exacerbated by a useful, yet complicated evaluation framework, which inspectors and schools find difficult to apply, and little support to schools to use evaluation results to lead improvements. North Macedonia should take steps to bridge the gap between the purpose of school evaluation and its perception among stakeholders. Another key priority is to make the process more manageable and provide schools with greater support to ensure that they appropriate evaluation and direct improvement.

En 2013, le tourisme a contribué directement au PIB à hauteur de 6.4 milliards MKD, ou 1.3 %, et a représenté 3.3 % de l’emploi total. Selon les estimations pour 2014, la contribution directe au PIB s’est montée à 7.3 milliards MKD (1.4 % du PIB), un chiffre qui passe à 27.4 milliards MKD ou 5.2 % lorsque l’on tient compte des effets plus larges de l’investissement, de la chaîne d’approvisionnement et des répercussions induites en termes de revenu. Le tourisme a été à l’origine de quelque 33 000 emplois en 2014, l’équivalent de 4.7 % de l’emploi total (CMTV).

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is one of the most advanced economies in the region in promoting its SME sector. Its institutional framework and operational environment continues to have a high level of EU SME policy convergence. Although it has a fairly solid policy framework in place, it needs to make further efforts to ensure the proper delivery of services meeting the needs of SMEs. Its innovation framework for SMEs has been significantly improved by the introduction of a strategy, law and fund, building the foundations for the promotion of innovation among SMEs. The banking regulatory framework has been further strengthened by aligning it more closely with Basel II principles. Technical standards and regulations are fairly well aligned with the European Union. The e-procurement system has been further developed since 2012 and the entrepreneurship promotion and skills agenda is being successfully implemented. Moving forward, SME development policy should be anchored in a higher level national strategy, allowing these reforms and programmes to continue to effectively promote SME development. Regular monitoring of activities and light evaluation of support programmes should be encouraged to ensure that the needs of SMEs are met and to justify government funding. Sources of non-banking financing should be encouraged, to diversify the financial base for SMEs and ease their access to finance.

Tourism directly contributed MKD 6.4 billion or 1.3% of GDP in 2013, and accounted for 3.3% of total employment. Estimates for 2014 indicate the direct contribution to GDP to be MKD 7.3 billion (1.4% of GDP), rising to MKD 27.4 billion or 5.2% of GDP when the wider effects from investment, the supply chain and induced income impacts are taken into account. Tourism supported an estimated 33 000 jobs in 2014, equivalent to 4.7% of total employment (WTTC).

Selon les estimations, le tourisme représentait 1.8 % du PIB en 2010. Le tourisme récepteur assurait 6 % des exportations de services, et les recettes publiques issues du secteur touristique atteignaient 180 millions EUR annuels.