NORTH MACEDONIA Law and Practice Contributed by: Ana Tosic Chubrinovski, Ivica Jevtic, Ljupka Naumoska Gjorgjievska and Marija Boceska, JPM Partners North Macedonia
In such a scenario, the project is accompanied by constant conflicts, legal battles, financial losses due to fines and work stoppages, and may ultimately result in the revocation of the operating permit. 3. Climate Change, Energy Transition and Sustainable Development in Mining 3.1 Climate Change Effects Initiatives to address climate change impact the min - ing industry in the Republic of North Macedonia at multiple levels. They are not presented as a single policy, but as an integrated system of legal obligations arising from regulations on air protection, industrial emissions control, energy, nature conservation and mineral resource management. This system compels the mining industry to: • invest in cleaner technologies through the obliga - tion to apply the best available techniques (BAT) and comply with strict emission limit values; • increase energy efficiency and shift towards renewable energy sources, in accordance with the national energy and climate policy; • plan and implement remediation and reclamation measures, ensuring responsibility for the entire life cycle of the mining project; and • integrate climate considerations into its strategic and operational planning to align with national cli - mate change and emissions reduction plans. In this way, the legal framework creates pressure on the mining sector to transform its operations towards sustainability and reduction of its impact on climate change. 3.2 Climate Change Legislation and Proposals Related to Mining In the legal system of the Republic of North Macedonia, there is no single law entitled “Law on Climate Change and Mining”; rather, there exists a comprehensive and interconnected legal framework that directly and indi - rectly regulates the impact of the mining industry on climate change. This framework is based on several key pillars: integrated control of industrial emissions, national climate change planning, an energy policy
oriented towards decarbonisation and principles of sustainable use of mineral resources. The main characteristics of this legislation are as fol - lows: • integrated prevention and control of pollution;
• national climate change planning; • energy policy and transition; and • sustainable use of mineral resources.
Although there is no single law dedicated specifi - cally to climate change and mining, legislation in the Republic of North Macedonia has been adopted and is actively implemented. This creates a complex reg - ulatory framework that obliges the mining sector to integrate climate-related considerations into its opera - tions. 3.3 Sustainable Development Initiatives Related to Mining Sustainable development initiatives in the Republic of North Macedonia constitute a systemic approach, integrated across multiple laws, which imposes obli - gations from the earliest planning stages, through the licensing and operational processes, up to the closure of mining facilities and site remediation. This approach is based on the principles of precaution, prevention, comprehensiveness, public participation and polluter responsibility, aiming to achieve a balance between economic development and the protection of the envi - ronment and social well-being for current and future generations. 3.4 Energy-Transition Minerals In essence, although there is no direct legislation on “energy-transition minerals”, the Republic of North Macedonia has established a legal and strategic framework that supports the objectives of energy transition and climate change. Through its strategies and plans, this framework indi - rectly stimulates the demand for and exploration of minerals such as lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements and copper, which are crucial for the development of renewable energy sources and energy storage technologies. The exploration and exploitation of these minerals are regulated by the Law on Mineral
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