North Macedonia Such programmes will need to be greatly expanded if North Macedonia is to achieve its renewable energy plans, but at least show some steps in the right direction. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING ON ENERGY POLICY AND INFRASTRUCTURE On decisions about individual infrastructure projects, North Macedonia is doing little better than its neighbours and is one of three Energy Community countries that are currently subject to infringement procedures due to failure to trans­pose the latest amended version of the Environmental Im­pact Assessment Directive. 246 In 2020, 14 hydropower projects were subject to screening to decide whether they needed EIAs and in every single case it was concluded that they did not, 247 meaning that no pub­lic consultations had to be held. Such moves risk further stoking public protests against such projects. The country has plenty of room for energy efficiency im­provements, partly on the legislative level by adopting im­plementing legislation, but also especially on the practical level by increasing the capacity of institutions – national and local – and increasing funding for good quality building ren­ovations. The effectiveness of the Programme for the Pro­tection of Vulnerable Customers needs to be evaluated, in­cluding by asking beneficiaries(and those who did not qual­ify for benefits) about their experience, and adjustments made where necessary. Utilising participatory processes for drafting strategic docu­ments is a welcome step toward inclusive energy transition – but only if the final documents reflect the inputs provided. North Macedonia should speed up the adoption and imple­mentation of the latest version of the EIA Directive to ensure that all projects with potentially significant environmental impacts are subject to proper assessments and public con­sultations, as well as adopting the new draft Law on Nature Protection. At the strategic level, North Macedonia has shown more ad­vanced practices than some of its peers. For example, the development of the 2019 Energy Strategy was accompanied by the formation of an NGO consultation group at the out­set, which led to the exclusion of the two most controversial hydropower projects from all of the scenarios. However, comments provided later in the process were generally not taken into account, perhaps partly because of the short timeframes for each stage. The NECP was developed in a relatively participatory man­ner, with different stakeholders included in the process such as public institutions, local and international experts, the pri­vate sector, academia and civil society. 248 However, the SEA accompanying the plan was developed somewhat later and does not sufficiently examine the impacts of its ambitious hydropower plans. It remains to be seen whether public in­puts will have a significant impact on the overall outcomes. RECOMMENDATIONS AND NEXT STEPS North Macedonia has made its policy directions clear and needs to work on a concrete plan for a comprehensive just transition of its coal regions, as well as implementation of further investments in wind farms and solar photovoltaics. Its programme to support small solar photovoltaic and solar thermal installation should be continued and expanded. In­vestments in new hydropower plants should be stopped due to their harmful influence on biodiversity and vulnera­bility to water shortages and the gasification policy needs to be reviewed in light of the country’s decarbonisation com­mitments. 246 Energy Community Secretariat, Implementation Report 2021. 247 Energy Community Secretariat, Implementation Report 2021. 248 Energy Community, Recommendations by the Energy Community Secretariat on the Draft National Energy and Climate Plan of North Macedonia, Energy Community, 20 November 2020. 45