In May, our co-founder Martin Schmidt travelled to Skopje together with experts from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Statistics Sweden to support North Macedonia’s preparations for EU membership.

The work focused on two areas of the EU acquis: Chapter 27 (Environment) and Chapter 18 (Statistics). While different in substance, both reflect a core European governance principle: governments set policy, while independent and professional institutions implement, monitor and report results.

Whether through a future Environmental Protection Agency safeguarding environmental standards or a State Statistics Office producing trusted national statistics, strong institutions create transparency, accountability and predictability – all prerequisites for sustainable growth, sound public finances and public trust.

This is why the work matters. EU accession is not only about adopting legislation; it is about building institutions that can turn policy into practice and deliver results over time.

At Beyond Intent, we believe that long-term prosperity depends on capable, efficient and independent public institutions. Supporting countries on their path towards stronger governance, better evidence and greater accountability is therefore not only a contribution to EU integration—it is an investment in more resilient societies.