Both the European Union and the Western Balkans (WB) area continue to place a high premium on combating terrorism. According to the results of the 2022 Regional Operational Training Needs Analysis (OTNA), preventing terrorism is a top priority for North Macedonian law enforcement, with an emphasis on spotting radical content online and detecting radicalization in prisons. To address these issues, CEPOL and the Ministry of Interior of North Macedonia conducted a counterterrorism prevention workshop in Skopje from June 9–13, 2025, as part of the WB PaCT project in collaboration with Europol. North Macedonian law enforcement participated in the training to examine important facets of a prevention-based counterterrorism strategy. Coordination with local populations was also stressed as a way to increase resistance to extremism.
