North Macedonia’s Ministry of Interior has proposed amendments to the Citizenship Law that would remove the existing €400,000 investment threshold and 10-job requirement under the country’s economic citizenship framework. The proposed changes would replace the fixed investment criteria with a case-by-case assessment based on exceptional national interest, while the European Commission has indicated that the reform may not fully address its concerns.

Proposed Changes

Under the draft amendments, the current investment requirements introduced for economic naturalization would be removed, including the €400,000 direct investment plus 10 jobs and the alternative €200,000 fund contribution. Instead, applications would be assessed individually, with relevant state institutions determining whether an applicant represents a significant economic, scientific, cultural, sporting, or other national interest.

EU Concerns

The European Commission has called for the abolition of North Macedonia’s investor citizenship scheme and its legal basis. It remains concerned that removing the fixed investment criteria could leave a discretionary mechanism through which ordinary investors may still obtain citizenship. The Commission’s position follows its broader concerns over the migration and security risks associated with investor citizenship schemes.

Program’s Limited Activity

Despite the attention surrounding the framework, North Macedonia’s economic citizenship route has generated relatively few citizenship grants. According to European Commission data, 121 people acquired citizenship on special-economic-interest grounds between 2005 and 2022, followed by one grant in 2023 and two in 2024. The investment route has therefore remained largely dormant in recent years.

Other Proposed Amendment

The draft also proposes reducing the waiting period for former citizens to reacquire North Macedonian citizenship from three years to three months. The government presents this change as a way to encourage members of the diaspora to return and contribute to the country’s economy.

Summary

North Macedonia is seeking to remove the fixed investment requirements from its citizenship framework and replace them with discretionary assessments of exceptional national interest. However, the European Commission considers the proposed reform potentially insufficient if investors can continue receiving citizenship through a discretionary mechanism. The amendments remain a draft and must go through further government and parliamentary procedures before becoming law.