Ended a decades-long dispute over Macedonia's name, enabling the country's NATO accession path and formalizing its constitutional rename to North Macedonia.
Key Facts
- Agreement signed
- 17 June 2018
- Entered into force
- 12 February 2019
- New constitutional name
- Republic of North Macedonia
- Replaces
- Interim Accord of 1995
- Named after
- Lake Prespa
- NATO accession protocol ratified
- 8 February 2019
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A prolonged dispute between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia over the latter's use of the name 'Macedonia' had persisted since Macedonian independence in the early 1990s. Greece objected that the name implied territorial claims over its own northern region of Macedonia, blocking the country's accession to NATO and the EU under that name.
On 17 June 2018, under UN auspices, Greece and the Republic of Macedonia signed the Prespa Agreement beside Lake Prespa. The accord resolved the naming dispute by requiring Macedonia to constitutionally rename itself the Republic of North Macedonia erga omnes, while both countries committed to a framework of strategic cooperation.
Both parliaments ratified the agreement, and it entered into force on 12 February 2019. The renamed North Macedonia was able to proceed with NATO integration, with the accession protocol ratified on 8 February 2019, removing a key obstacle to the country's Euro-Atlantic membership aspirations.
Political Outcome
Republic of Macedonia constitutionally renamed to Republic of North Macedonia erga omnes; long-standing bilateral naming dispute resolved; NATO accession path cleared.
Republic of Macedonia blocked from NATO/EU membership due to Greek objections over the name
Republic of North Macedonia cleared for NATO accession following ratification of the agreement