Skopje

The Bulgarian-Macedonian dispute is also being carried over to Albania. Another misunderstanding arises over the possible separation of two regions in Albania - Golo Bardo (Gollobordë) and Gora, into separate municipalities, reports BNT. The Bulgarian minority, recognized by the Parliament in Tirana in 2017, is concentrated in these areas.

Two US Air Force B-52 bombers will fly over the Balkans later today in a show of commitment to NATO allies amid heightened tensions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A plan for a major film and music studio in Skopje has movie professionals in North Macedonia dreaming of a brighter future. But their hopes have been dashed before.

Tsar (Emperor) Samuil (Samuel) was the ruler of a large medieval state, which the majority of modern historical scholarship considers to be the Bulgarian Kingdom with a center in the territory of today's Republic of North Macedonia.

Some 35 migrants were injured on Wednesday night when the truck they were traveling in capsized on the road from the village of Udovo to the town of Gevgelija, close to North Macedonia's border with Greece.

According to the Interior Ministry, the injured migrants were kept in the cargo area of the truck that capsized. A total of 49 migrants was discovered at the site of the accident.

The foreign ministers of Bulgaria and North Macedonia signed the bilateral protocol to Art. 12 of the Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighbourliness and Cooperation.

The document will form part of Skopje's negotiating framework for EU membership and contains measures for the history, hate speech and culture curricula.

With 68 votes "in favor" and none "against" and in the absence of MPs from the main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE and the small "Levitsa" formation, the parliament adopted draft conclusions, with which the cabinet is given direction on what it can and cannot negotiates in the European integration process.

North Macedonia must take a step forward towards the European Union, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the Macedonian parliament ahead of a meeting where lawmakers are debating the so-called "French proposal" to start EU negotiations.

Von der Leyen concluded her address to the Macedonian MPs with a quote from the late President Boris Trajkovski:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria sent a note today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia due to "numerous manifestations and slogans directed against Bulgaria".

Judicial Woes

A courtroom in Skopje. Photo: BIRN

Seven years ago, when the ruling SDSM came to power in North Macedonia, one of its pledges for cleaning up corruption and strengthening the rule of law was to implement a judicial vetting process. The aim of this would have been to root out corrupt or inefficient judges.