North Macedonia had been implementing the NATO Membership Action Plan since 1999. The unresolved issue of the country name was preventing it from achieving the NATO membership goals. The turning-point came in 2018, a bilateral agreement was signed in Prespa on June 17 that opened the door for further integration of the country. On 6 February 2019 a protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia was signed in Brussels and ratified by all 29 NATO allies.
North Macedonia has also been a EU candidate since 2005.
