No. 29 Macedonian Matters
Macedonian Independence Day, new EU ambassador arrives to Skopje, Turkey's Fidan visits, and more.
This is Macedonian Matters. I’m Aleksej Demjanski.
This is your weekly curated news from North Macedonia.
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The Matters
September 8, 1991 - Macedonian Independence Day.
Yesterday marked 33 years of independence. Here’s a clip from the 1991 announcement by President Kiro Gligorov.
What are the challenges for Mickoski's North Macedonia? | A Debrief with Malinka Jordanova, Branimir Jovanovic and Lura Pollozhani (Atlantic Council)
PM’s Attack on North Macedonia-Bulgaria ‘History Commission’ Members Condemned (Balkan Insight)
“North Macedonia’s right-wing prime minister has been criticised for accusing Macedonian members of the joint history commission with Bulgaria, intended to seek common ground on different readings of history, of not defending the national interest.
Last week, Mickoski said his cabinet will replace the Macedonian members of the commission, accusing them of failing to “meet expectations” and “protect national interests”. The commission members then offered to resign.”
New members of the North Macedonia-Bulgaria history commission will be announced soon, says Mickoski (360 Degrees - Macedonian)
“Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski expects the new composition of the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission on Historical and Educational Issues between North Macedonia and Bulgaria to be voted on at one of the next two government sessions.
Mickoski says he already has ideas and thoughts on which members will replace the incumbents but adds that they will be refined after he meets with Foreign Affairs Minister Timcho Mutsunski.”
Greece's Michalis Rokas begins the European mission in Macedonia (Sitel - Macedonian)
“Is the EU stepping up European monitoring of the implementation of the Prespa Agreement and constitutional amendments with new European Ambassador Michalis Rokas?
The Greek diplomat, who is currently in Macedonia, will lead the European mission for the next four years. Rokas comes to Macedonia at a time when dialogue with Bulgaria is almost non-existent, and neighboring Greece has announced that it will vigilantly monitor the fulfillment of the obligations of the Prespa Agreement after the arrival of the new government.”
"My goal is to help Macedonia move forward," the new European ambassador said at a meeting with President Siljanovska-Davkova (360 Degrees - Macedonian)
“The new head of the EU delegation to the country stressed that the Union is ready to accompany the state and the new government, institutions and civil society on the path to further European integration, adding that they hope that negotiations and reforms can soon become mutually reinforcing processes".”
Constitutional changes need a proper political climate – a meeting of Murtezani and Várhelyi (Telma - Macedonian)
“It is necessary to create an appropriate political climate and public support for the constitutional amendments, Minister of European Affairs Orhan Murtezani said at today's meeting with European Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi. Murtezani stressed the Government's readiness for a constructive dialogue with Bulgaria. The constitutional amendments to the Constitution are part of the framework to start negotiations with the EU.”
Mickoski: Delayed effect of constitutional amendment is one possible solution, provided we have a clear guarantee of EU membership (360 Degrees - Macedonian)
“We as a government cannot enter into a naïve process where only we will make concessions without having a clear guarantee that as a country, we will be part of the European family, Prime Minister Mickoski said today.”
North Macedonia’s PM Mickoski: Clear Guarantees Needed for EU Membership Before Concessions (Bulgarian News Agency)
“Mickoski reiterated that North Macedonia is not avoiding talks with Bulgaria about including Bulgarians in its constitution but will only engage with representatives of a stable, permanent Bulgarian government. He emphasized that until then, the government "will not waste time" and will focus on internal reforms to meet EU membership criteria.”
Milanović - Mickoski: European Union unfair to North Macedonia (MIA)
“The European Union is unfair to North Macedonia. Macedonians have fulfilled numerous requirements demanded of them in order to speed up the negotiations and the EU accession but in spite of this, they are still far from membership. All of this shows that the EU does not have a sincere attitude towards North Macedonia, said Croatian President Zoran Milanović after a meeting with Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, who is paying an official visit to Croatia on Thursday.”
Court of Appeal abolishes Macedonian Language Center in Greece, local media report (360 Degrees - Macedonian)
“The Macedonian Language Center in Greece, which was registered two years ago, is being abolished, Greek media reported… According to them, this is the epilogue to the lawsuits and objections that were filed immediately after the association was registered by the Delhi High Court.
The decision to abolish the Centre, according to demokratia.gr, was taken by the Court of Appeal of Western Macedonia in Greece.
As a particularly significant point, it was noted that in the court documents, the organization is officially referred to by its name in the Macedonian language, using the Macedonian Cyrillic alphabet.
The registration decision, as announced by the Center at the time, represents the first official recognition of the Macedonian language in Greece by state authorities since the census in Greece conducted in 1920.”
New aid package for Ukraine, says Minister Misajlovski (Sakam Da Kazam - Macedonian)
“Defense Minister Vlado Misajlovski announced a new aid package for Ukraine, which he said would soon be approved by a cabinet session. Misajlovski said that we have an obligation every year to allocate funds to help Ukraine, because we are a member of NATO. He reiterated that we are the fifth largest aid donor to Ukraine, according to GDP, and that it is important for us to show that we are a stable member of NATO.”
Turkish FM Fidan's visit to North Macedonia reflects a growing alliance (TRT World)
“Türkiye and North Macedonia are considering updating their two-decade-old Free Trade Agreement to strengthen bilateral trade and double the current trade volume, which currently stands at $1 billion.”
Turkey hopes to double its trade with North Macedonia to $2 billion (ABC News)
“Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday his country hopes to boost its trade with North Macedonia to $2 billion a year, or roughly double the current volume with the Balkan country.
Fidan said following talks in the North Macedonian capital with North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timcho Mutsunski that Ankara wants to establish a “strategic council for cooperation” to handle the boost in trade. Neither minister gave a time-frame.
Turkey currently is North Macedonia’s seventh-largest trade partner.”
Turkey Presses North Macedonia to Boost Fight Against Gulenists (Balkan Insight)
“Turkey's foreign minister, on a visit to North Macedonia, said he expects the country's new government to "give stronger support" to the fight against supporters of exiled preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of terrorism.”
Macedonian government approves €500mn loan from Hungary to boost economy (bne IntelliNews)
“North Macedonia’s government approved plans on September 3 for a €500mn loan from Hungary, which is expected to serve as a significant driver for the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
It was reported in July that North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski had reached an agreement with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for a €500mn loan to be provided by Hungary to Skopje. This sum represents half of the €1bn that Mickoski pledged to secure following his electoral victory on May 8…
The loan package, comprising €250mn for business communities and another €250mn for capital investments in municipalities, is seen as a development component for the economy, Mickoski said.”
N. Macedonia to back local infrastructure projects with 98 mln euro (SeeNews)
“North Macedonia's government said on Thursday it will provide 6 billion denars ($108.2 million/97.5 million euro) in support of infrastructure projects by local municipalities in 2024. The state aid is part of a project which foresees providing a total of 15 billion denars to municipalities for infrastructure and capital projects, the government said in a press release. Local municipalities have seven days starting September 5 to apply for state aid for infrastructure projects in culture, sport, environment, road infrastructure, social policies, and education, Zlatko Perinski, minister of local self-government, said.”
Government announces public call for €100 million for municipal development projects (Telma - Macedonian)
“The €250 million provided by the government will stimulate the development of municipalities and improve the lives of citizens. A public call has also been announced, through which municipalities will apply for infrastructure and capital projects based on pre-established criteria and procedures, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and Minister of Local Self-Government Zlatko Perinski announced at a joint press conference.”
N. Macedonia opens call for subsidies on new airline routes (SeeNews)
“North Macedonia's transport ministry said on Friday that it is launching an open call for airlines to introduce flights to the country's two international airports, in Skopje and Ohrid… The programme will offer a subsidy of 9 euro ($10) per passenger for Skopje Airport and 12 euro per passenger for Ohrid Airport. The new programme will support inbound passengers rather than outbound, as previous government programmes did, transport minister Aleksandar Nikoloski said last week.”
To reduce dependence on WizzAir, the government will subsidize routes rather than companies, paying per passenger on arrive not departure (Sakam Da Kazam - Macedonian)
“The government has decided to subsidize air traffic by destination, and not as before by airlines, Minister of Transport and Relations Aleksandar Nikoloski said… Subsidies for new destinations will also be available on routes outside the EU, as so far only flights from European Union airports have been subsidized.
From January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027, an annual subsidy program of 125 million denars is planned, as opposed to the previous one of 63 million denars per year. Competing airlines will have to meet a requirement to have served 5 million passengers during 2023. They should also have at least €10 million in profits during 2023, Nikoloski said in the announcement.”
N. Macedonia to launch tender for third mobile operator (SeeNews)
“North Macedonia's government plans to launch a tender for a third mobile operator, prime minister Hristijan Mickoski said, following a recent MoU with Hungarian IT company 4iG to explore market entry.”
Minchev: The balancer remains in force, but its eventual abolition will be discussed (360 Degrees - Macedonian)
“At this point, the legal solution is being applied. As long as there is no other legal mechanism, the application of the balancer, under the Public Sector Employees Act, remains in force. However, that does not mean that there will not be a discussion for the eventual abolition of that tool, the Minister of Public Administration told Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.
On the issue of inefficiency of administration and the reasons behind it, the minister said that there are institutions in the state where the number of employees is too high and that maybe 30 to 40 per cent of public servants are actually doing their jobs. The reason for this is found in, as he says, political party hiring.”
Anti-Corruption Platform demands the return to function of the Open Finance portal (360 Degrees - Macedonian)
“The Platform of Civil Society Organizations for Combating Corruption requests the Ministry of Finance to provide unhindered access, continuous and timely updating of data on the Open Finance portal and their availability in an open format, as has been the practice so far.”
Vlatko Gjorchev, Pavel Trajanov, Solza Grcheva will make over 100 thousand denars a month to advise the government (24 Vesti - Macedonian)
“Analyst Petar Arsovski says it's no surprise when politicians say one thing on the campaign trail and do another when they're in office. And it's no secret that parties house their party activists. And it's not so much the salaries of functionaries, but more importantly that the government solves citizens' problems, such as buses, infrastructure investments, and anything else that can drive the economy.
Analysts believe that clientelism is a reflection of Macedonian society and that such a practice is the key link in the destruction of the pillars of a state and that such clientelism contributes to increased crime, corruption, dysfunctional institutions because everything is reduced to subjection and at times to the point of building a cult of personalities just because it has reached some position for which citizens will pay.”
‘Now It’s Even Worse’: North Macedonia’s Cancer Clinic Buckles Under Pressure (Balkan Insight)
“The overcrowded and understaffed oncology clinic in Skopje, the main centre for North Macedonia’s cancer patients, fails to offer much in the way of comfort, dignity or hope - as a day spent at the clinic showed.”
In 10 years, 27,000 less students in Macedonia. In Pehchevo, 83% less high schoolers (Sakam Da Kazam - Macedonian)
“The Center for Civic Communications has published an analysis of deeply troubling data on declining enrollment in primary and secondary education. In a decade, the number of students has dropped by 27,000, according to data from the NGO's analysis.
The decline is particularly pronounced in secondary schools, where it appears to be a turning point when families move out. The decline in high school students is 20 percent.”
New European Commission report finds Skopje among 10 worst European cities to live in (Sakam Da Kazam - Macedonian)
“72% of Skopje residents are satisfied with life in the capital, according to a new survey on the quality of life in European cities conducted by the European Commission. At the top of this list is Zurich, where 97% of citizens are satisfied with life, followed by Copenhagen (96%) and Groningen (96%), while at the bottom are Palermo (62%), Athens (65%), Istanbul (65%)... Behind Skopje are Rome, Belgrade, Naples and Tirana.”
Goethe Medal 2024: Celebrating three women in the arts (Deutsche Welle)
“Germany's highest prize for foreign cultural policy goes to Claudia Cabrera, Carmen Romero Quero and Iskra Geshoska. They pursue their vision despite all obstacles.
When Iskra Geshoska shows visitors the center of her hometown of Skopje, capital of North Macedonia, her outrage returns. She is angered by its set-dressing architecture aiming to simulate a national history through fake neoclassical facades with columns, stucco and sculptures that never existed in the past. The makeover was imposed by the nationalist-conservative government over a decade ago.
The real Skopje, a mixture of Roman-Byzantine-Ottoman history and socialist modernism, is disappearing. "They are stealing our stories," Geshoska told DW, "and we must respond with a strategy of creative resistance."”
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