Thomas Waitz: North Macedonia is one of the most beautiful countries, but adaptation is urgent

European Parliament rapporteur Thomas Waitz used the second working session of the 25th EU–North Macedonia Mixed Parliamentary Committee on environment to urge faster adaptation measures and to promote the country’s natural assets as an economic opportunity.

“The effects of global warming hit us all equally, and that is felt especially in agriculture. In the EU this year we had a heatwave, severe drought and forest fires. You might say, yes, we know that, it is regular here. But for many of our countries this was something new. Forest fires in Belgium, in the Austrian Alps, that is something new,” Waitz said, stressing that the world has already exceeded the Paris goal.

“We can talk about limiting carbon dioxide emissions, but we have already passed that 1.5 degrees Celsius we signed in Paris. That train has left. We did not meet that threshold and that fight we will no longer win. And we must fight for every tenth of a degree of avoided warming and we must adapt to the new reality,” he said, adding that the human cost has been high.

Waitz warned that almost 35,000 people died in the EU as a consequence of heat and noted how extreme temperatures are becoming more frequent: “In the past we only had one day above 40 degrees, this year there were six days. The situation escalates and politicians need to be aware, to be aware that we must prepare societies, cities, agriculture, transport. And in Austria, which is quite organised when it comes to railways, trains did not run because the infrastructure was not prepared for 42 degrees. Unfortunately, this is the reality that is happening to us.”

Promotion, protected areas and mining

Waitz also urged North Macedonia to advertise its parks and nature to attract visitors: “If you look at how Montenegro and Albania develop nature tourism, you will see that you have all the prerequisites. North Macedonia is one of the most beautiful countries I have visited. I have been hiking on Pelister, on Galičica, I have been in Mavrovo, on Šara and I congratulate you that you have three national parks. How many people know about that? Promote yourselves, show the world what beauties you have. The country is full of natural beauties, which also represent an economic opportunity for the whole population, especially for the local one,” he said.

On mining, Waitz acknowledged the need for raw materials but warned that extraction should not destroy more than it yields; he underlined that greener, modern mining methods exist but come at a higher cost.

MP Dragana Arsova (VMRO‑DPMNE) highlighted legislative and institutional progress in North Macedonia’s environmental policy, noting concrete steps taken in recent years. She pointed to a new inspection law that entered into force in January 2026 and said that 1,772 inspections were carried out in 2025, with 530 irregularities identified. Arsova also said the national air‑quality monitoring network was expanded in July 2026 with a new automatic station in Štip, bringing the total to 23 stations.

“Prepared and updated inventories and emission projections for 2025 and 2030 have been submitted to the European Environment Agency and to the UN Economic Commission for Europe. That shows our policies are increasingly based on data, measurable indicators, which is especially important in the process of alignment with European standards,” she said. Arsova added that work continues on waste management reforms, preparation of a new Nature Law to transpose EU directives on birds and habitats, and identification of 24 potential Natura 2000 sites covering roughly 12 percent of the country’s territory. She also said the government submitted the draft Climate Action Law to the Venice Commission for opinion.

Photo: press material from the event