North Macedonia votes in presidential polls as EU membership bid looms
8 months, 2 weeks ago

North Macedonia votes in presidential polls as EU membership bid looms

Al Jazeera  

The vote is the first in a series of polls that could decide whether the diverse Balkan country will ever join the EU. Voting is under way in North Macedonia to elect a president ahead of an upcoming parliamentary election as the Balkan country continues to ponder its European Union membership bid. The 61-year-old incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski is a candidate of the pro-European Social Democrats running for a second five-year term and is challenged by the 70-year-old Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova from the opposition VMRO DPMNE coalition. The country had already cleared another resistance to its membership bid from Greece in a 2019 move to change its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia. Voter Stavre Temelkovski told The Associated Press news agency that he had high expectations that North Macedonia would become a full-fledged EU member soon.

North Vote North Macedonia Balkan Macedonia  bid  membership  polls  balkan  eu  macedonia  parliamentary  votes  state  country  presidential  looms  vote  north

History of this topic

Orban's Governance Model: The Driving Force of His Popularity
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Orban's Governance Model: The Driving Force of His Popularity

Al Jazeera  

The article explores the appeal of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, focusing on his governance model rather than geopolitical pursuits. It highlights how Orban's embrace of Russia and China has resonated with Eastern European countries seeking alternative pathways to the EU. The article also explores the impact of the EU's financial aid cuts on Hungary and the upcoming national elections …

Italy says Russia or China could gain influence in Western Balkans if EU dream fails
4 months ago

Italy says Russia or China could gain influence in Western Balkans if EU dream fails

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Greece claims neighboring North Macedonia broke historic name deal, warns its EU hopes may suffer
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Greece claims neighboring North Macedonia broke historic name deal, warns its EU hopes may suffer

Associated Press  

ATHENS, Greece — Greece on Monday accused neighboring North Macedonia’s new center-right government of breaking a historic deal on the country’s name, warning that this could harm its hopes of one day joining the European Union. Athens was responding a day after North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski repeatedly used the old name, Macedonia, saying he found his country’s new …

North Macedonia’s parliament approves a new center-right government after May’s election
6 months, 2 weeks ago

North Macedonia’s parliament approves a new center-right government after May’s election

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — North Macedonia’s center-right leader secured parliamentary approval to lead a new coalition government in a vote late Sunday. However, VMRO-DPMNE’s questioning of key agreements with neighboring Bulgaria and Greece — both which can block North Macedonia’s accession — could put the brakes on the EU project, said political analyst Petar Arsovski. North Macedonia’s new President Gordana …

North Macedonia’s new president seeks to sidestep disputes with EU neighbors
7 months, 4 weeks ago

North Macedonia’s new president seeks to sidestep disputes with EU neighbors

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — European Union candidate North Macedonia sought Monday to calm disputes with EU neighbors Greece and Bulgaria that flared up following the landslide election victory of a conservative-backed coalition and president. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the remarks “illegal and unacceptable,” in an online post Monday, adding: “We declare categorically that we will not accept any …

Just one word could stop this country from joining the EU
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Just one word could stop this country from joining the EU

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Greece has threatened to hinder …

North Macedonia’s new president reignites a spat with Greece at her inauguration ceremony
7 months, 4 weeks ago

North Macedonia’s new president reignites a spat with Greece at her inauguration ceremony

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova was sworn as the first female president of North Macedonia on Sunday and immediately reignited a diplomatic spat with neighboring Greece. At the ceremony in the country’s parliament, Siljanovska-Davkova referred to her country as “Macedonia,” rather than the constitutional name “North Macedonia.” This prompted Greek Ambassador Sophia Philippidou to leave the inauguration ceremony. The …

Winner of North Macedonia’s parliamentary election to seek governing coalition partner
8 months ago

Winner of North Macedonia’s parliamentary election to seek governing coalition partner

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — The head of a center-right 22-party coalition that emerged victorious in North Macedonia’s parliamentary election has fallen just short of gaining a parliamentary majority, leaving it reliant on entering a partnership with another party to form a government. The “Your Macedonia” coalition, led by the head of the VMRO-DPMNE party, Hristijan Mickoski, won just over 43% …

North Macedonia holds presidential and parliamentary elections Wednesday
8 months ago

North Macedonia holds presidential and parliamentary elections Wednesday

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Voters in Northern Macedonia go to the polls Wednesday for a double election — parliamentary and presidential — following a campaign in which the country’s aspirations to join the European Union have played a central role. The month-long campaign has focused on fighting corruption, improving the slugging economy and alleviating poverty, but the main hot-button issue …

North Macedonia holds presidential and parliamentary elections Wednesday
8 months ago

North Macedonia holds presidential and parliamentary elections Wednesday

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The month-long campaign has focused on fighting corruption, improving the slugging economy and alleviating poverty, …

EU chief says investment plan for Western Balkan candidate members will require reforms
1 year, 2 months ago

EU chief says investment plan for Western Balkan candidate members will require reforms

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — The European Commission’s top official said Monday that a decade-long investment package for Western Balkan countries seeking to join the bloc could vastly improve the region’s economy but is conditioned on required reforms. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discussed details of the 6 billion euro package during a visit to North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, …

German president presses N Macedonia on EU-required reforms
2 years, 1 month ago

German president presses N Macedonia on EU-required reforms

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged North Macedonia to acknowledge the presence of an ethnic Bulgarian minority in the country, amid other actions required to speed up its European Union accession process. North Macedonia’s accession bid is being held up by a dispute with neighboring EU member Bulgaria, which can block EU expansion — a process …

North Macedonia’s EU path is under threat from an unlikely actor
2 years, 3 months ago

North Macedonia’s EU path is under threat from an unlikely actor

Al Jazeera  

Much of the Macedonian civil society has joined the right in rejecting a deal with Sofia and Brussels. Over the summer, a proposal by the European Union to resolve North Macedonia’s dispute with neighbouring Bulgaria, which had imposed a veto on its EU membership bid, caused much social upheaval in the Balkan country. This exposed the unsettling reality that the …

Spain's PM offers support for North Macedonia's EU candidacy
2 years, 5 months ago

Spain's PM offers support for North Macedonia's EU candidacy

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

EU starts membership talks with Albania, North Macedonia
2 years, 5 months ago

EU starts membership talks with Albania, North Macedonia

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — The European Union started membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia on Tuesday, a long-delayed step in the Balkan nations’ paths toward EU membership that gained momentum amid the war in Ukraine. The result of your hard work,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Rama and Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski of North Macedonia,. It was only …

North Macedonia parliament OKs deal; EU talks start July 19
2 years, 5 months ago

North Macedonia parliament OKs deal; EU talks start July 19

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — North Macedonia has approved a French proposal that opens the way for negotiations to join the European Union and overcome Bulgarian objections. Under the proposal, announced by French President Emmanuel Macron last month, North Macedonia would commit to changing its constitution to recognize a Bulgarian minority, protect minority rights and banish hate speech, as Bulgaria, an …

North Macedonia votes to resolve dispute with Bulgaria
2 years, 5 months ago

North Macedonia votes to resolve dispute with Bulgaria

Al Jazeera  

Lawmakers pass a deal aimed at settling a dispute with Bulgaria, clearing the way to long-due EU membership talks. Lawmakers in North Macedonia have passed a French-brokered deal aimed at settling a dispute with Bulgaria, clearing the way to long-due European Union membership talks. Both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel took to …

Concessions to Bulgaria prompts violence in North Macedonia
2 years, 6 months ago

Concessions to Bulgaria prompts violence in North Macedonia

Al Jazeera  

Northern Macedonia’s concessions on ethnic rights as part of EU accession talks prompts violent protests in Skopje. At least 47 police officers have been injured in the North Macedonian capital of Skopje during protests against the government’s concessions on ethnic rights as part of EU accession talks, according to news agency Makfax that cited the police. EU member Bulgaria had …

EU urges N Macedonia to back proposed deal with Bulgaria
2 years, 6 months ago

EU urges N Macedonia to back proposed deal with Bulgaria

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — European Council President Charles Michel urged North Macedonia on Tuesday to back a French-proposed compromise on ending a dispute with neighboring Bulgaria that’s blocking the country’s long-delayed European Union accession bid. Violent protests erupted in North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, where demonstrators tried to storm government buildings, after French President Emmanuel Macron announced the proposal — which …

Macedonians protest French proposals over rift with Bulgaria
2 years, 6 months ago

Macedonians protest French proposals over rift with Bulgaria

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Tens of thousands massed outside government offices late Saturday to protest a French proposal for solving North Macedonia’s dispute with Bulgaria that is blocking the country’s membership talks with the European Union. North Macedonia’s government has said the proposal is a “solid base.” But the main opposition center-right VMRO-DPMNE party rejects the proposition, arguing it favors …

Bulgaria’s no-confidence vote could hamper EU expansion
2 years, 6 months ago

Bulgaria’s no-confidence vote could hamper EU expansion

Associated Press  

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Lawmakers in Bulgaria on Wednesday approved a no-confidence motion against the country’s minority coalition government that could topple the centrist prime minister and further stall efforts by Balkan countries to join the European Union. The Bulgarian government has insisted North Macedonia formally recognizes that its language has Bulgarian roots, acknowledges in its constitution a Bulgarian minority, and …

EXPLAINER: Western Balkans’ promised EU future still hazy
2 years, 6 months ago

EXPLAINER: Western Balkans’ promised EU future still hazy

Associated Press  

BELGRADE, Serbia — European Union leaders will seek to offer support this week to six Western Balkan countries that have long been knocking at the bloc’s doors, and now see the war in Ukraine raging not far from their borders amid fears Russia could turn its sights on their region. The two-day summit starting Thursday in Brussels is expected to …

EU expansion drive in Balkans adds to Bulgarian PM’s woes
2 years, 6 months ago

EU expansion drive in Balkans adds to Bulgarian PM’s woes

Associated Press  

SOFIA, Bulgaria — After just seven months in office, and now reduced to heading a minority government, Bulgaria’s liberal Prime Minister Kiril Petkov finds himself between a rock and a hard place over European Union enlargement amid the war in Ukraine. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Friday urged the cabinet to disperse any suspicion that the country might take the …

Leading EU official calls bloc’s expansion a “top priority”
2 years, 6 months ago

Leading EU official calls bloc’s expansion a “top priority”

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — European Council President Charles Michel visited North Macedonia on Thursday and said efforts to start European Union membership talks with the landlocked Balkan country and neighboring Albania have become a “top priority” since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The war in Ukraine opened a new chapter in European history and put EU enlargement at the forefront,” Michel …

Netherlands now supports EU bids from Albania and N. Macedonia
2 years, 6 months ago

Netherlands now supports EU bids from Albania and N. Macedonia

NL Times  

The Netherlands has made an about-face when it comes to the accession of Albania and North Macedonia to the European Union. Although Prime Minister Mark Rutte vocally opposed the two countries joining the EU a few years ago, he now approves, De Telegraaf reports. The Cabinet and coalition parties in the Tweede Kamer are also favorable toward the two Balkan …

Germany’s Scholz tries to unblock North Macedonia’s EU bid
2 years, 6 months ago

Germany’s Scholz tries to unblock North Macedonia’s EU bid

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited North Macedonia and Bulgaria on Saturday in a bid to resolve the dispute between both countries that has seen European Union membership talks with both North Macedonia and Albania blocked. Bulgaria refuses to approve the EU’s membership negotiation framework for North Macedonia, effectively blocking the official start of accession talks with …

Weary waiting for EU, Balkan trio boost regional integration
2 years, 7 months ago

Weary waiting for EU, Balkan trio boost regional integration

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Frustrated by their countries’ sluggish progress toward joining the European Union, three Western Balkan leaders moved Wednesday to further boost regional economic and labor integration. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania and Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski of North Macedonia signed deals on tax administration, tourism and cultural cooperation, and on mutual recognition …

What lies in the way of North Macedonia’s EU membership?
2 years, 11 months ago

What lies in the way of North Macedonia’s EU membership?

Al Jazeera  

Bulgaria and Greece have blocked the way before, with frustration centred on historic and cultural disagreements. “All these years the focus was on the Greek issues,” said Cvetkovska, referring to separate historic disagreements with North Macedonia’s neighbour to the south. “Macedonian politics were relying on the international community to fix the Bulgarian problem.” Tangled history Under premier Nikola Gruevski, the …

Bulgarian PM visits North Macedonia to boost battered ties
2 years, 11 months ago

Bulgarian PM visits North Macedonia to boost battered ties

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — The new prime ministers of North Macedonia and Bulgaria agreed Tuesday to redouble efforts to improve relations between the Balkan neighbors, which soured after Bulgaria blocked North Macedonia’s bid to join the European Union. Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov’s visit to Skopje came only two days after North Macedonia’s parliament confirmed the country’s new cabinet, led …

North Macedonia: Center-left government OK’d by parliament
2 years, 11 months ago

North Macedonia: Center-left government OK’d by parliament

Associated Press  

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — North Macedonia’s parliament on Sunday approved a new coalition Cabinet led by the Social Democrats, with two ethnic Albanian parties as junior partners. North Macedonia’s new prime minister, Dimitar Kovachevski, 47, was a deputy finance minister in the Zaev government. During his term as prime minister, Zaev secured North Macedonia’s membership in NATO after ending a …

Frustrated Balkans seek reassurance at EU summit
3 years, 2 months ago

Frustrated Balkans seek reassurance at EU summit

New Indian Express  

The 27-nation club is set to talk up economic support worth billions of euros for its eastern neighbours at a summit at Brdo Castle, in Slovenia, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency. "It's a good moment for us to be assertive, and make clear that the European Union continues to be the region's biggest donor," an EU official said. …

Euro 2020: North Macedonia, with habit of springing upsets, hope to make impact in debut
3 years, 7 months ago

Euro 2020: North Macedonia, with habit of springing upsets, hope to make impact in debut

Firstpost  

North Macedonia have a reputation of being capable of pulling off occasional upsets. Shortly after getting a new name, North Macedonia qualified for a major football tournament for the first time. The former Yugoslav republic became an independent member of FIFA and UEFA in 1994, took the name North Macedonia in 2019 and reached this year’s European Championship via a …

On the Macedonian-Bulgarian dispute and historical revisionism
4 years, 1 month ago

On the Macedonian-Bulgarian dispute and historical revisionism

Al Jazeera  

In 2004, North Macedonia was one of the first post-Yugoslav states to receive an accession candidate status with the European Union. Various Bulgarian officials have claimed that the Macedonians are Bulgarians but are unaware of this fact, while the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has refused to refer to North Macedonia’s language as “Macedonian”, arguing instead that the language is merely …

Greece backs Macedonia’s NATO accession, settles dispute
5 years, 11 months ago

Greece backs Macedonia’s NATO accession, settles dispute

Associated Press  

ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s parliament on Friday approved a measure for Macedonia to join NATO, ending a decades-old dispute watched closely by Western allies wary of Russian influence in the region. The Greek vote means the former Yugoslav republic will now formally change its name to North Macedonia, settling the spat over the country’s name which Greece saw as a …

Greece backs Macedonia’s NATO accession, settles dispute
5 years, 11 months ago

Greece backs Macedonia’s NATO accession, settles dispute

Associated Press  

ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s parliament on Friday approved a measure for Macedonia to join NATO, ending a decades-old dispute watched closely by Western allies wary of Russian influence in the region. The Greek vote means the former Yugoslav republic will now formally change its name to North Macedonia, settling the spat over the country’s name which Greece saw as a …

North Macedonia signs Nato accession accord after name-change deal
5 years, 11 months ago

North Macedonia signs Nato accession accord after name-change deal

The Telegraph  

North Macedonia moved a step closer to Nato membership on Wednesday, signing accession papers after resolving a long-running name row with Greece, whose own region in the north of the country is called Macedonia. Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said it was a "historic day" which will lead to North Macedonia becoming the 30th alliance member, once the deal has …

Macedonia will change its name. Here’s why it matters
5 years, 11 months ago

Macedonia will change its name. Here’s why it matters

CNN  

CNN — In what may be the most significant diplomatic step in the Balkans since the end of the Bosnian war, a bitter, decades-long bilateral dispute has been put to rest in Europe Friday. Under the agreement, Greece’s neighbor will stop using the name “Republic of Macedonia,” a name it chose for itself when it declared independence from Yugoslavia in …

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