Here you will find the link to the latest progress report on Macedonia from the European commission;

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Key findings of the progress reports on the candidate countries:
the Republic of Macedonia
Text from:   europa.eu/Date:  06/11/2007, press release

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia obtained the status of candidate country in December 2005.

Political criteria

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has taken some further steps to meet the political criteria. The implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement continues to contribute to the consolidation of democracy and the rule of law. Some progress has been made in the reform of the judicial system and some encouraging results have been achieved in the fight against corruption. Overall, human rights and the protection of minorities, including inter-ethnic relations have improved.

However, continuing political tensions in the country are delaying reforms. The dialogue between all parties within the Parliament needs to be conducted in peaceful and constructive manner. It needs to be ensured that all political stakeholders play the role foreseen by the Constitution and cooperate to guarantee an effective democratic process. In that way further progress can be achieved in essential areas like the police and the judiciary, the consolidation of the rule of law, as well as the protection and promotion of the rights of the non majority communities. In addition, corruption remains widespread. The country has continued to participate actively in regional co-operation and given its support to the South East Europe Co-operation Process (SEECP), the Regional Co-operation Council and the amended Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).

Economic criteria

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is well advanced in, and has further moved towards establishing a functioning market economy. It should be able to cope with competitive pressures and market forces within the Union in the medium term, provided that it vigorously implements its comprehensive reform programme in order to reduce significant structural weaknesses.

The country has maintained a broad consensus on economic policies. Its policy mix has contributed to macroeconomic stability. The country's growth has been solid, while inflation has remained low. The current account was close to balance. Price and trade liberalisation are largely completed, and the privatisation has continued. Property registration has been accelerated. Measures have been taken to improve the quality of education and training.

However, unemployment has remained particularly high. The functioning of the market economy is still hampered by institutional weaknesses. The judiciary continues to be a bottleneck. Regulatory and supervisory agencies are not always able fulfil their functions effectively. The degree of legal certainty is still low. Labour markets are still functioning poorly.

EU legal order

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has made further efforts to improve its ability to assume the obligations of membership. There was some progress in the fulfilment of the short term priorities of the European partnership. However, the country still faces major shortcomings in implementing and effectively enforcing legislation. Adequate human and financial resources to fully implement the Stabilisation and Association Agreement are lacking. Large scale replacement of qualified staff following political changes hampered efforts to improve administrative capacity.

EU Financial Assistance under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) for the candidate countries