The master's thesis is grounded in the assumption that the European integration of North Macedonia is a long, challenging process. It thoroughly examines which factors best explain the course of this process and how these factors reflect the (un)credibility of the EU's enlargement promise. The theoretical framework draws on both rationalist and constructivist institutionalism, primarily focused on the model of external incentives and supplemented by the concepts of "stabilocracy" and differentiated integration. Using data triangulation, the study tests three hypotheses concerning the level of corruption, trends of Euroscepticism and political factors, including the influence of the international environment. The empirical part is complemented by five semi-structured interviews, which provide further insight into the issue. The empirical analysis indicates that external political factors, particularly blockades of member states, represent the primary obstacle on the path to European integration. On the other hand, corruption and Euroscepticism act as secondary, but systemic factors. As a result, the credibility of the EU's enlargement promise has declined and is evident both at the institutional and societal levels. The thesis concludes that the impasse of EU accession process in North Macedonia stems from the inconsistent application of EU conditionality, rather than necessarily from the candidate country’s failure to meet the formal accession criteria.
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