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1. Youth parliament

2. Youth councils and/or youth advisory boards

3. Higher education student union(s)

4. School student union(s)

5. Other bodies

Youth parliament

The Law on Youth Participation and Youth Policies (Official Gazette No. 10/2020) provides for the establishment of both a National Youth Assembly and Local Youth Assemblies as key mechanisms for structured youth participation.

The National Youth Assembly is envisaged as a representative body composed of registered youth organisations, organisations for youth, and youth umbrella organisations. Its mandate includes:

• Electing youth representatives to the National Advisory Body for Youth Policies;
• Defining youth policy priorities;
• Monitoring the work of elected youth representatives;
• Reviewing their reports;
• Adopting internal rules of procedure.
   

The Law stipulates that the Assembly must convene at least once per year and that its establishment should be initiated by an Initiative Board composed of at least two-thirds of registered youth organisations.

At the local level, Local Youth Assemblies are foreseen as representative platforms bringing together youth organisations active within the respective municipality, thus ensuring decentralised participation in youth policy processes.

Implementation status

As of early 2026, the National Youth Assembly has not been fully operationalised. In February 2026, an attempt was made to constitute the Assembly; however, the session was unsuccessful due to a lack of quorum. As a result, the National Advisory Body for Youth Policies has not been constituted in line with the Law. This situation represents a significant implementation gap in the national youth participation framework.

National Advisory Body for Youth Policies

In addition to the Assembly, the Law foresees the establishment of a National Advisory Body for Youth Policies as a formal consultative mechanism between youth representatives and state institutions.

Its responsibilities include:

• Providing opinions on youth-related legislation and policies;
• Reviewing the National Youth Strategy and its action plans;
• Advising on youth-related budget allocations;
• Initiating discussions on youth issues within the Government and the Parliament
• Monitoring alignment with EU youth policy recommendations.
   

The Body is composed of youth representatives elected by the National Youth Assembly, alongside representatives of relevant ministries.

Following the 2024–2025 institutional restructuring — namely, the transformation of the former Agency of Youth and Sports into the Ministry for Social Affairs, Demography and Youth — adjustments to the composition of the Advisory Body are required.

As of February 2026, the National Advisory Body for Youth Policies has not been fully constituted.

Youth councils and/or youth advisory boards

Local Youth Councils

Article 16 of the Law on Youth Participation and Youth Policies (2020) obliges all municipalities, including the City of Skopje and its municipalities, to establish Local Youth Councils (LYCs) through their municipal statutes.

Local Youth Councils:

• have an advisory and advocacy role;
• may propose agenda items to municipal councils;
• participate in drafting and monitoring local youth strategies;
• provide recommendations on youth-related policies.
   

The composition of Local Youth Councils must:

• consist of an odd number of members;
• not exceed one-third of the members of the municipal council;
• include at least five members.
   

Municipalities are legally required to allocate at least 0.1% of their annual budgets to youth-related activities.

Implementation status:
Monitoring reports from civil society indicate that not all municipalities have established functioning Local Youth Councils. According to the 2024 monitoring of the Law on Youth Participation and Youth Policies, conducted by the National Youth Council of Macedonia , only 28 municipalities have established a local youth council, representing just 34% of all municipalities in the country. In several cases, councils exist only formally and face limitations in influence, resources, and operational capacity. Furthermore, obligations related to budget allocation are implemented inconsistently.

Higher education student union(s)

Student representation in higher education is regulated by the Law on Higher Education (Official Gazette No. 82/2018, with amendments).

The Law replaced the former student parliament model with:

• Faculty Student Assemblies
• University Student Assemblies
  
   

Student Assemblies:

• are elected through direct, democratic elections by secret ballot;
• have one-year mandates with the possibility of re-election;
• elect student representatives to university governance bodies;
• nominate the Student Ombudsman;
• monitor academic quality and student welfare;
• manage funds allocated for student activities.
   

Higher education institutions are required to provide financial support while guaranteeing autonomous financial management by student assemblies.

The effectiveness and level of influence of student assemblies vary across universities.

School student union(s)

Secondary school students are represented primarily through the High School Union, an independent informal  national student platform.

The Union operates through regional branches and advocates on issues related to:

• quality of education;
• student rights;
• prevention of peer violence;
• student participation in educational reforms.
   

Unlike higher education, there is no comprehensive legal framework that standardises student representation structures across all secondary schools. Representation mechanisms are therefore less institutionalised compared to the higher education sector.

Other bodies

Beyond the mechanisms described above, no additional formally institutionalised youth representative bodies exist at national level.

Youth participation in public life also occurs through:

• youth organisations and umbrella organisations;

• civil society platforms;

• ad hoc working groups and consultation processes.
   

However, these mechanisms are not systematically embedded within formal decision-making structures.