This analysis aims to explore how the European Union AI Act will influence North Macedonia’s legal and institutional readiness for EU integration, with a focus on the necessary structural, legal, and institutional reforms the country must undertake to harmonise laws with EU standards. Without this alignment, the country risks regulatory fragmentation, decreased trust in AI systems, and potential delays in the accession process. Failure to harmonise national legislation with the acquis communautaire—specifically the AI Act in this case—would signal insufficient compliance with EU digital and data protection standards, undermine the country’s credibility as an EU candidate and weaken its still-developing data protection framework.