Article 1 
1. The Union shall make macro-financial assistance of a maximum amount of EUR 100 000 000 available to North Macedonia (the ‘Union’s macro-financial assistance’), with a view to supporting North Macedonia’s economic stabilisation and substantive reform agenda. The entire amount of the assistance shall be provided in the form of loans. The release of the Union’s macro-financial assistance is subject to the adoption of the Union budget for the relevant year by the European Parliament and the Council. The assistance shall contribute to covering the balance-of-payments needs of North Macedonia as identified in the IMF programme. 2. In order to finance the loan, the Commission shall be empowered, on behalf of the Union, to borrow the necessary funds on the capital markets or from financial institutions and to on-lend the corresponding amounts to North Macedonia under the conditions applicable to the borrowings. The loans shall have a maximum average maturity of 15 years. 3. The release of the Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be managed by the Commission in a manner consistent with the agreements or understandings reached between the IMF and North Macedonia, and with the key principles and objectives of economic reforms set out in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. The Commission shall regularly inform the European Parliament and the Council of developments regarding the Union’s macro-financial assistance, including disbursements thereof, and shall provide those institutions with the relevant documents in due time. 4. The Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be made available for a period of two and a half years, starting from the first day after the entry into force of the MoU referred to in Article 3(1). 5. If the financing needs of North Macedonia decrease fundamentally during the period of the disbursement of the Union’s macro-financial assistance compared to the initial projections, the Commission, acting in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 7(2), shall reduce the amount of the assistance or suspend or cancel it.
Article 2 
1. A precondition for granting the Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be that North Macedonia respect effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system, and the rule of law, and guarantee respect for human rights. 2. The Commission shall monitor North Macedonia’s fulfilment of the precondition set out in paragraph 1 throughout the life-cycle of the Union’s macro-financial assistance. 3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall apply in accordance with Council Decision 2010/427/EU ( 7 ) .
Article 3 
1. The Commission, in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 7(2), shall agree with the authorities of North Macedonia on clearly defined economic policy and financial conditions, focusing on structural reforms and sound public finances, to which the Union’s macro-financial assistance is to be subject. Those economic policy and financial conditions shall be set out in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which shall include a time frame for the fulfilment of those conditions. Those economic policy and financial conditions shall be consistent with the agreements or understandings referred to in Article 1(3), including the macro-economic adjustment and structural reform programmes implemented by North Macedonia with the support of the IMF. 2. The conditions referred to in paragraph 1 shall aim, in particular, to enhance the efficiency, transparency and accountability of the public finance management systems in North Macedonia, including for the use of the Union’s macro-financial assistance. Progress in mutual market opening, the development of rule-based and fair trade, and other priorities in the context of the Union’s external policy shall also be duly taken into account when designing the policy measures. The Commission shall regularly monitor North Macedonia’s progress in attaining those objectives. 3. The detailed financial terms of the Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be laid down in a loan agreement to be concluded between the Commission and North Macedonia. 4. The Commission shall verify, at regular intervals, that the conditions referred to in Article 4(3) continue to be met, including whether the economic policies of North Macedonia are in accordance with the objectives of the Union’s macro-financial assistance. For the purposes of that verification, the Commission shall coordinate closely with the IMF and the World Bank, and, where necessary, with the European Parliament and with the Council.
Article 4 
1. Subject to the conditions referred to in paragraph 3, the Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be made available by the Commission in two equal instalments. 2. The amounts of the Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be provisioned, where required, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/947 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 8 ) . 3. The Commission shall decide on the release of the instalments, subject to the fulfilment of the following conditions: (a) the precondition set out in Article 2(1); (b) a continuous satisfactory track record of implementing a policy programme that contains strong adjustment and structural reform measures supported by a non-precautionary IMF credit arrangement; (c) the satisfactory implementation of the economic policy and financial conditions agreed in the MoU. 4. The release of the second instalment shall not, in principle, take place earlier than three months after the release of the first instalment. 5. Where the conditions referred to in paragraph 3 are not met, the Commission shall temporarily suspend or cancel the disbursement of the Union’s macro-financial assistance. In such cases, it shall inform the European Parliament and the Council of the reasons for the suspension or cancellation. 6. The Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be disbursed to the National Bank of North Macedonia. Subject to the agreed provisions set out in the MoU, including a confirmation of residual budgetary financing needs, the Union funds may be transferred to the Ministry of Finance of North Macedonia as the final beneficiary.
Article 5 
1. The borrowing and lending operations related to the Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be carried out in euro using the same value date and shall not involve the Union in the transformation of maturities, or expose the Union to any exchange or interest rate risk, or to any other commercial risk. 2. Where the circumstances permit, and if North Macedonia so requests, the Commission may take the steps necessary to ensure that an early repayment clause is included in the loan terms and conditions and that it is matched by a corresponding clause in the terms and conditions of the borrowing operations. 3. Where circumstances permit an improvement of the interest rate of the loan, and if North Macedonia so requests, the Commission may decide to refinance all or part of its initial borrowings or may restructure the corresponding financial conditions. Refinancing or restructuring operations shall be carried out in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 4 and shall not have the effect of extending the maturity of the borrowings concerned or of increasing the amount of capital outstanding at the date of the refinancing or restructuring. 4. North Macedonia shall bear all costs incurred by the Union which relate to the borrowing and lending operations under this Decision. 5. The Commission shall inform the European Parliament and the Council of developments regarding the operations referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3.
Article 6 
1. The Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be implemented in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046. 2. The Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be implemented under direct management. 3. The loan agreement to be agreed with the authorities of North Macedonia shall contain all of the following provisions: (a) ensuring that North Macedonia regularly checks that financing provided from the general budget of the Union has been properly used, takes appropriate measures to prevent irregularities and fraud and, where necessary, takes legal action to recover any funds provided under this Decision that have been misappropriated; (b) ensuring the protection of the Union’s financial interests, in particular providing for specific measures in relation to the prevention of, and fight against, fraud, corruption and any other irregularities affecting the Union’s macro-financial assistance, in accordance with Council Regulations (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 ( 9 ) and (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 ( 10 ) , Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 11 ) and, for those Member States participating in enhanced cooperation regarding the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, also in accordance with Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 ( 12 ) ; (c) expressly authorising the European Anti-Fraud Office to carry out investigations, including on-the-spot checks and inspections including digital forensic operations and interviews; (d) expressly authorising the Commission or its representatives to carry out checks, including on-the-spot checks and inspections; (e) expressly authorising the Commission and the Court of Auditors to perform audits during and after the availability period of the Union’s macro-financial assistance, including document audits and on-the-spot audits, such as operational assessments; (f) ensuring that the Union is entitled to early repayment of the loan if it has been established that, in relation to the management of the Union’s macro-financial assistance, North Macedonia has engaged in any act of fraud or corruption or any other illegal activity detrimental to the financial interests of the Union; (g) ensuring that North Macedonia is to bear all costs incurred by the Union that relate to the borrowing and lending operations under this Decision. 4. Before the implementation of the Union’s macro-financial assistance, the Commission shall assess, by means of an operational assessment, the soundness of the country’s financial arrangements, administrative procedures and internal and external control mechanisms, which are relevant to the assistance.
Article 7 
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. 2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
Article 8 
1. By 30 June of each year, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council a report on the implementation of this Decision in the preceding year, including an evaluation of that implementation. That report shall: (a) examine progress made in implementing the Union’s macro-financial assistance; (b) assess the economic situation and prospects of North Macedonia, as well as progress made in implementing the policy measures referred to in Article 3(1); (c) indicate the connection between the economic policy conditions set out in the MoU, the country’s ongoing economic and fiscal performance and the Commission’s decisions to release the instalments of the Union’s macro-financial assistance. 2. Not later than two years after the expiry of the availability period referred to in Article 1(4), the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council an ex-post evaluation report, assessing the results and efficiency of the completed Union’s macro-financial assistance and the extent to which it has contributed to the aims of the assistance.
Article 9 
This Decision shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union .