Macedonia

An Italian company in partnership with the city will invest €73 million in order to turn Skopje’s communal waste landfill into a modern recycling facility.The public-private partnership deal that the city signed with the Italian consortium, FCL AMBIENTE SRL and UNIECO SCC COOP, aims to cut the amount of waste …

The UN mediator in the Macedonia-Greece ‘name’ talks, Matthew Nimetz, is visiting Athens and Skopje, bringing fresh proposals for a solution to the dispute.Officials in Athens and Skopje expect the UN mediator in the longstanding dispute over Macedonia’s name – to which Greece objects – to put forward some fresh …

Two former officials accused of collaborating with Communist-era Yugoslavia’s secret police have had their names cleared.The administrative court in Skopje overturned a preliminary ruling by Macedonia’s Lustration Committee that former ambassador to Poland, Petre Nakjovski, and former state security service official Hetem Ejup Ademi had been secret police collaborators during …

Macedonia’s top general wants conscripts to bolster the country’s cash-strapped forces, but the defence minister disagrees.The head of the army’s general staff, General Goranco Koteski, said that conscription could boost Macedonia’s security but defence minister Fatmir Besimi rejected the idea of reintroducing non-professional soldiers. “We should remain consistent to our …

Political crisis continues in Macedonia as Social Democrat-led opposition says it will boycott local elections in March.Opposition parties led by the Social Democratic Party, SDSM, said they will not take part in the March local elections on the grounds that the Prime Minister, Nikola Gruevski, plans to rig the polls. …

The Macedonian opposition has blocked the adoption of the national budget for next year, as it battles with the government over proposed loans.Parliament’s Commission on Financing and Budget is blocked with over 1,200 amendments submitted by the opposition Social Democrats, SDSM. This makes it uncertain whether the commission will have …

European Court rules rules that Macedonia was responsible for torture, ill-treatment of Khaled El-Masri, a victim of CIA rendition, and orders payment of 60,000 euro in damagesThe court found El-Masri’s account to be established beyond reasonable doubt and held Macedonia responsible for his torture and ill-treatment both in the country …

Greece found an ally in Bulgaria in preventing Macedonia from obtaining a start date for EU accession talks at a Tuesday’s EU meeting in Brussels.At the EU meeting, where Macedonia had been hoping to obtain a start date for membership talks, Greece justified its blockade once more on the grounds …

Macedonia has followed in the footsteps of neighbouring Bulgaria in offering citizenship to foreigners ready to invest in the country.Macedonia’s government plans to offer citizenship to anyone who invests at least 400,000 euro and employs at least 10 people. “This offer stands for all investors except those in the hospitality …

Albania’s announcement that it plans to offer speedy citizenship to ethnic Albanians across the world has stirred huge interest in Kosovo while ruffling feathers elsewhere in the region.Kosovars have been crowding outside the Albanian embassy in Pristina in larger numbers than usual lately, in the hope of obtaining an Albanian …