This policy brief evaluates anti-corruption alignment and structural vulnerabilities in North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina against the EU’s Directive (EU) 2026/1021 on Combatting Corruption. Within the European Union’s “Fundamentals First” enlargement methodology, establishing an accountable administration, an independent judiciary, and robust anti-corruption enforcement is a primary condition for membership. Despite significant differences in their governance models—North Macedonia being a centralized unitary state and Bosnia and Herzegovina a complex, decentralized federation—both candidate countries confront shared systemic obstacles in combating corruption. By examining strategic planning, institutional coordination, criminal legislation, and judicial track records, the comparative analysis identifies critical governance bottlenecks and outlines key reforms needed to meet the EU’s new anti-corruption standards.
