Latest News from Macedonia
Greece’s land borders will open to tourists soon, PM says
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis assured authorities in northern Greece on Tuesday that coronavirus restrictions on the country's land borders would be lifted entirely within the next few weeks, facilitating the arrival of tourists by road.
Storms, gale-force winds expected on parts of mainland, islands
The National Observatory of Athens (NOA) on Tuesday issued an alert warning of powerful storms in many parts of the Greek mainland, as well as in the eastern Peloponnese, Crete and the islands of the northern and eastern Aegean.
"Western Balkans belong to Europe"
He told the Croatian Express that the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU is a process based on merit and that as such, it is in the true interest of the EU.
"It's about 'exporting stability instead of importing instability,'" Hahn, a former commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and enlargement negotiations, had pointed out.
Balkans Not Ready to Declare Victory Over COVID-19
As Europe starts to ease itself out of the COVID-19-related lockdown, some countries in the Western Balkans also hope they have seen the worst of the pandemic.
Montenegro and Croatia have either not registered any new cases of COVID-19 for days, or have marked only single-digit numbers, prompting a gradual easing of movement restrictions and safety measures.
Weather turning on Thursday, rain and winds expected
The unseasonably high temperatures of the past few days are to drop from Thursday with the General Secretariat for Civil Protection warning of heavy rainfall, storms, strong winds and hailstorms in parts as of Thursday.
The wet front is forecast to begin in western, central and northern Greece from the early afternoon.
ForMin Aurescu supports adoption at EU level of documents regarding negotiation frameworks with Albania, North Macedonia
Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu participated on Tuesday in the regional videoconference at ministerial level on the topic of managing the social-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which context he voiced support for the adoption, at European level, in the next period, of documents representing the negotiation frameworks with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia, follow
No Quarantine for Bulgarians in Need of Medical Treatment in Turkey
From May 20, 2020, Turkey will freely allow all Bulgarian citizens in need of treatment in Turkish hospitals to come in the country with up to two escorts without being placed under a 14-day quarantine. We were informed about this by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey with a note sent to our embassy in Ankara.
Turkey to open doors to 31 countries for health tourism
Turkey will accept patients from 31 countries as of May 20 as it loosens coronavirus restrictions, according to the country's Health Ministry.
An official letter from the ministry lists acceptance conditions for patients, entry to the country, admission to hospital, treatment, discharge and isolation rules.
Citizen of Northern Macedonia Crossed the Bulgarian Border Illegaly and Damaged 2 Police Cars
A 39-year-old citizen of Northern Macedonia crossed the Bulgarian border illegally disobeyed the police and hit a patrol car in Kyustendil.
Violations of social distancing, travel restrictions rise on Thursday
The police fined 31 people for violating social distancing a health safety measures, as well as another 80 for leaving their area of residence without permission on Thursday, showing a small rise from the previous day.
Wildly Wrong: North Macedonia’s Population Mystery
This is the latest in a series of articles about the demographic crisis facing Central and Southeast Europe.
See also: Bye-Bye, Balkans: A Region in Critical Demographic Decline
Week in Review: Turning Up the Heat
(Dis)United
Goce Delcev, the early 20th century revolutionary, could easily be a historical figure to unite Bulgarians and Macedonians. Unfortunately, he seems to be becoming a bone of contention between the governments in Skopje and Sofia.
Teen injured in hit-and-run in northern Greece
A 12-year-old boy was injured when his bicycle was hit by a passing car in the city of Naousa, central Macedonia.
The incident took place on Tuesday night, according to state-run news agency ANA-MPA. The boy was transferred to the Ippokratio Hospital in Thessaloniki for treatment, although it was not clear what his injuries were.
Local police is investigating the incident.
Μinister proposes opening of four Greek border posts instead of six
A deputy minister said only four border crossings out of six in northern Greece should open for tourists as the government prepares to ease restrictions on travel, saying the others lack the necessary infrastructure to conduct customs and possible health checks on arriving visitors.
Greek Hotels Want Easier Access for Tourists through Bulgaria
Greek hoteliers are offering the government special measures to ensure easier access for tourists through Bulgarian border crossings, BNR reports, quoted by novinite.bg.
Within days, the government will adopt a final framework for ferry travel, strictly following the social distance measures.