German Media: Identity issues once again block Macedonia’s EU path
The German media "Süddeutsche Zeitung" wrote that Macedonia will be able to start negotiations with the European Union only if Macedonia recognizes that its language is a dialect of Bulgarian, and its national heroes are ethnic Bulgarians. The country, which not so long ago changed its name to increase its chances of EU membership, now faces another major hurdle. The beginning of Macedonia’s accession negotiations with the EU will be blocked, said its neighboring Bulgaria, if the Government in Skopje does not change parts of its hist…
Zaev: Greece can rely on Macedonia
Macedonia’s visiting Prime Minister Zoran Zaev assured Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Wednesday that Greece can rely on Macedonia, grekk newspaper Ekathimerini reports. As Ekathimerini writes: "The visit to Athens, the first for the Macedonia primeminister, was to symbolize the end of a “cold war” between the two Balkan neighbors over their decades-long name dispute." Zaev, who combined his visit with his attendance of the Economist Conference, is reportedly in line with the European stance toward Ankara regarding the r…
Greece extends entry ban for Macedonians until September 30
Greece until September 30 has extended the ban for entry of internationals outside the European Union, including Macedonia, Albania and Turkey, MIA reports from Athens. Limitations at land borders due to ‘preventative reasons to protect public health from the spread of COVID-19 in Greece’, involve the period from Sept. 16 to Sept. 30 and includes Greece’s road and railroad connections with Macedonia, Albania and Turkey. Tourists and foreign nationals who are allowed to travel there can enter Greece by crossing the Promachonas border with Bulga…
EU: Building border fence between Macedonia and Serbia was not part of agreement
Serbia is constructing a barbed-wire fence at its southern border with Macedonia. Authorities in Belgrade have not yet commented on the issue, but the EU did. Serbia has started erecting a barbed-wire fence at its southern border with Macedonia, with the goal of blocking illegal migrants from entering the country without a visa, according to reports from news agency AFP, local media outlets in Belgrade and Radio Free Europe, as well as Macedonian media reported. Now the EU commented the issue: The European Union has rejected the claims that th…
Finland bans flights from Skopje
Finland has banned flights from Macedonia after several Skopje – Turku flights in a row brought dozens of coronavirus infected patients. The line was popular with Kosovar emigrants to Finland who came to the Balkans on summer vacation. After the initial “corona flight”, Finland re-introduced two weeks of quarantine for arrivals from high risk countries. Four flight in total brought over 60 patients to Finland. Five positive tests were reported on another flight from the same destination last Tuesday, and another 12 cases were detected on the…
Macedonia opened Borders for Passangers
As of Friday, Macedonia has fully reopened its borders, enabling free movement of Macedonian and foreign nationals without the obligation to provide a valid PCR coronavirus test, and without having to be quarantined. The decision was reached by the Government on Tuesday, based on recommendations of the Commission for Infectious Diseases. In addition, the Government decided to fully reopen as of July 1 the Skopje International Airport and the Ohrid Airport. Measures and recommendations on wearing personal protective equipment, i.e. fac…
Macedonia commemorates president Boris Trajkovski
Today in 2004 Macedonia lost his president Boris Trajkovski in an airplane crash Boris Trajkovski, as well as six members of the Macedonian delegation and two crew members who left for an international conference in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), died on February 26, 2004, after the state-owned aircraft crashed in a mountain region of Bosnia. The wreck burned out partially.
Macedonia Only Country of the Region to Decline in New World Tourism Competitiveness Report
Macedonia’s tourism has become more uncompetitive during the last two years, according to the new Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 released by the World Economic Forum. Compared to the last report in 2017, the country’s ranking declines by 12 positions (from 89th to 101st) out of 140 countries reviewed in the report. The numbers in the new report are disastrous: Macedonia was the only country in the subregion to decline in T&T competitiveness (89th to 101st). The nation’s business environment (40th to 84th), hu…
Kotzias: I hope Prespa deal sets shining example of how to solve regional problems
During his opening speech at the Rhodes Conference for Security and Stability on Thursday, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said he hoped the Prespa deal would be implemented and set a shining example of how to solve problems in the region, MIA's Athens correspondent reports. FM Kotzias said the Prespa compromise 'showed that no one can drive the other side into a corner.' "We cannot live motivated by revanchism and irredentism. We need to accept reality and find ways of living together," Kotzias said. &q…
Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro to host women's European Handball Championship
EHF confirmed at the meeting in Glasgow that Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro will organize the women's European Handball Championship in 2022. This outcome was already known before, because the joint candidacy of Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro was the only organization for the European Women's Championship in 2022. But from today it is officially. The original plan is for four groups to play in Skopje, Podgorica, Ljubljana and Celje. And the whole finish will be in Ljubljana. This means that Macedonia would only hos…
Albania's Balfin unveils 350 mln euro real estate project in Skopje
Albanian investment group Balfin has said it will invest 350 million euro ($408 million) in its Skopje East Gate real estate development project in the capital of neighbouring Macedonia. The mixed-use project, with a gross built-up area of 143,000 square metres, will include a shopping mall, a residential compound and a business park, the Balfin Group said in a statement late on Friday, following the presentation of the project in Skopje. Skopje East Gate is a very important project not only for Skopje, but for the whole country, …
Survey: Seventy pct of Bulgarians support Macedonia's accession to EU
Bulgarians support the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the European Union and consider that their country has an interest the countries to become members of the European family, show the results of the survey conducted by Trend Research Center, commissioned by 24 Chasa newspaper. Sixty percent of the Bulgarians support the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the European Union. Only 16% have negative opinion while a quarter of respondents do not have an opinion or cannot give an assessment. Bulgarians giv…
Macedonia: 4 Kosovo operatives detained after filming military base in Tetovo
On May 9, 2018, at 4:20pm on “Fushtanska” Street in Tetovo, four operatives with a passenger vehicle Volkswagen Golf with Kosovo license plates filmed the military barracks “Kuzman Josifovski Pitu” with their cell phones as the car slowly went around the object. After the security of the base spotted the operatives, the car sped off. At 17:45 on the regional road Tetovo-Jazince, near the village of Glogi, police officers stopped the vehicle carrying H.B. (48), F.L. (36), J.L. (74) and F.L. (28), all from Kosovo, after which they w…
Financial Times: Fragile Balkans’ future depends on Macedonia deal
If the definition of progress is that a country no longer names its capital’s airport after a warrior king who died 2,300 years ago in Babylon, then there is surely hope for the Balkans — the source of many a modern European conflict. In February, Macedonia’s reformist leadership reversed the previous government’s bombastic nationalism and changed the name of Alexander the Great airport to Skopje International. The ice began to melt in one of post-Communist Europe’s most vexed disputes. On the highway into Skopje, capital of the forme…
Cheaper roaming for Macedonia as of August: Bulgarian minister
Roaming prices for Macedonia and Serbia will drop as of August and the decision will be taken during the Bulgarian EU Presidency, says Bulgarian Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski. Moskovski says mobile operators from Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia are actively working on signing an agreement. " Activities are coordinated with European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel, who initiated the lowering of roaming prices in the region, " he added. Lower roaming prices for the countries of the West…
Stolevski's Would You Look at Her wins Grand Prix in Belgrade
Would You Look at Her, directed by Goran Stolevski, won the Grand Prix for the best international short film at the 65th edition of The March Festival of documentary and short films that yesterday wrapped up in Belgrade. The jury described the short as "a telling critique of the current political climate and psychology expressed through an uncompromising portrayal of the independent and positive heroine, who goes through life with determination and dignity. "Directed with precision, the film is an example of a powerful, …
Macedonia and Greece are moving closer to solving name dispute: Zaev tells FT
Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in an interview the Financial Times (FT) said Macedonia and Greece are moving closer to solving longstanding name dispute. Zaev hopes that they will find a compromise before a Nato summit in Brussels on July 11-12. “ I’m optimistic. It’s very difficult, we’re aware of that. But it would be smart for both sides to find a solution as early as possible, ” Zaev said. “Now the new requirement from Greece is that we need to change our constitution. But a constitution is a home rule book. It doe…
Observance of 14. anniversary from President Boris Trajkovski's death
Macedonia observes Monday 14 years from the death of President Boris Trajkovski, who was killed in a plane crash near Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Family members, delegations and citizens will lay flowers at Trajkovski's grave in Skopje. President Trajkovski died in a plane crash on 26 February 2004, when the US-made Beechcraft King Air 200 tried to land at the airport of Mostar, in southern Bosnia, in bad weather. President Trajkovski, six of his closest advisors Dimka Ilkova-Boskovic, Risto Blazevski and Anita Krisan-Loza…
Handball Euros: Macedonian team arrives in Zagreb
The Macedonian men's handball team arrived in Zagreb on Thursday, ahead of tomorrow's start of the European Championships. Macedonia plays its first Group C match against Slovenia on Saturday. Afterwards, the national team goes against Germany (January 15) and Montenegro (January 17). The top three teams advance to the second round of the tournament. DEUTSCH
Skopje hosts Balkanika literary awards ceremony
The Macedonian capital Skopje is hosting one of the leading literary events in the region, namely a ceremony where the international literary award for best book in the Balkans - Balkanika - will be handed out. The pick is going to be made by an international seven-member jury, chaired by US professor Andrew Wachtel. The jury, comprised of literary critics from seven countries in the region, is tasked with selecting the best book in 2015 and 2016 each, the Skopje-based publishing company Magor has said. All writers shortlisted for…
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