Macedonia

The government of Macedonia proposed an ambitious plan to invest 8 billion euros in the country’s infrastructure through 2016. Fresh off a commanding victory in the April 5th presidential and local runoff, the ruling VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition in Macedonia now has a chance to make good on its plan to invest …

Bulgarian European Parliament Members Evgeni Kirilov (PES) and Nikolay Mladenov (EPP) are on an official visit to Skopje, Macedonia, over the issue with Bulgarian military graveyards in the former Yugoslav republic on Friday. The frontline where the Bulgarian Army fought during the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) and WWI is within the …

Greece hopes the new Macedonian President will cooperate in finding a compromise to the long-standing name row between the two countries, the Greek Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Athens hopes that Georgi Ivanov, the President elect from Sunday’s poll, “will work on settling the name row in line with NATO …

Macedonia’s budget needs to be urgently revised as the country spends more than it receives, the International Monetary Fund’s representative to the country, Bert Van Selm, said in the local media. He said this year’s first trimester shows a forecasted 13 per cent growth in revenue, on which the budget …

SKOPJE, Macedonia – Sunday’s second round of presidential and local elections went in accordance with “most international standards”, the OSCE said in a statement Monday (April 6th). We were pleased to see a peaceful environment and a well-administered Election Day, although some aspects of the campaign period seriously detracted from …

The Skopje court Monday afternoon sentenced the former Macedonian Vice Premier and former leader of the Democratic Alternative party, Vasil Tupurkovski to three years in prison for embezzlement. In the infamous “Taiwan Loans” case, Tupurkovski and one other person were charged for the misuse of funds. The money is question …

European Union, NATO and United States’ top officials are praising the recent peaceful and democratically run Macedonian elections. The presidential and municipal poll on Sunday, which cemented the power of the ruling conservative VMRO DPMNE party was seen as a test of the country’s democratic credentials. The vote was closely …

SKOPJE, Macedonia – Xhevat Ademi, deputy leader of the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), criticised on Saturday (April 4th) Macedonia’s “lack of willingness” to reach an agreement with Greece in the long-standing name dispute.

The low turnout of ethnic Albanians in Sunday’s presidential election was because they felt neglected by the two presidential frontrunners, who are ethnic Macedonians, according to local analysts. The poll barely succeeded with a turnout of 42 per cent, only slightly above the required 40 per cent threshold. This was …

Macedonia’s lack of willingness to reach a deal with Greece over its name will not only keep it away from NATO and the EU, but also increase its isolation and poverty, ethnic Albanian leaders said. European Union and NATO member Greece imposed a veto on Macedonia’s NATO entry a year …