The European Movement in the Republic of North Macedonia (EM-MK) on 10.12.2019 in Ohrid organized a panel discussion on the topic "Euro-integration processes in the development perspectives of the Municipality of Ohrid and the South-west planning region: Tourism and cultural heritage as important factors in the Euro integration process". The event is part of the program of the project "CSOs making local democracy work". 

Having in mind the cultural and natural beauties that are characteristic for this region, the main emphasis of this discussion was put on tourism and the attitude towards the cultural heritage. The participants of the discussion were prof. Mileva Gjurovska, prof. Naume Marinoski, prof. Pere Aslimoski, Martin Aleksovski, Vesna Cvetanoska and Alberta Gulicovska. They all elaborated on the topic from their own point of view, after which a fruitful discussion evolved, which resulted in some interesting and useful suggestions. It is indisputable that the Republic of North Macedonia has a rich cultural heritage that provides conditions for tourism development. Cultural heritage can be seen as the most authentic way to get to know the local culture. That is why, tourists get to know us better through our cultural heritage. Bearing this in mind, it must be noted that it is extremely important to show greater concern for cultural heritage, especially now that there are conditions for Ohrid to lose its status as a UNESCO city. Security aspects were also discussed as particularly important for tourism development.

The conclusions that emerged from the discussion were primarily aimed at raising awareness of the cultural heritage of the local population, and especially of the youth. The French example was shown as a positive model, where young people, as well as entire families, learn restoration skills and participate in the restoration of certain objects. It contributes not only to getting acquainted but also to deepen the connection with their cultural heritage. Another suggestion was to encourage young people to visit museums, galleries, and historical and cultural monuments more and thus be able to learn more about cultural heritage so that they can present it to their peers from home and abroad in the future. The need for greater care for cultural heritage has also been mentioned many times. It was underlined that it is very important to divert personal interests and to stop the city from being over-urbanized and built for profit but to make efforts to preserve, maintain and enhance the cultural heritage we have.

This event is part of the activities of the project "Civil Society Organizations for making local democracy work" implemented by the European Movement of the Republic of Macedonia (EMRM), the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA) - Skopje and Association of finance officers in the local government and publicly owned enterprises (AFO) - Veles, and is financially supported by the European Union through the IPA Civil Society Program and media program.