Social Democratic Union of Macedonia

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.

The highest average monthly salary in the Western Balkans this year is in Slovenia - EUR 1,113, while the lowest is in Macedonia, where the average monthly salary amounts to EUR 413, "New Macedonia" Newspaper wrote, according to the FOCUS News Agency.

Relations between Greece and Macedonia** are at a pivotal point.

One hundred and thirty-seven states recognize Macedonia under its constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia. However, some Greek politicians reject the name.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's party successfully passed its first serious test on Sunday, winning the local elections in the country, reports Mediapool. 

Young people from the Western Balkans see the high level of unemployment as one of the most important challenges the region faces.

BELGRADE - Serbia's friends do not act the way Social Democratic Union of Macedonia leader Zoran Zaev has been acting, says Serbian Deputy PM and FM Ivica Dacic.

"Serbs are the Macedonians' biggest and best friends, and Serbia's friends do not act the way Zaev has been acting," he told Kurir TV in response to Zaev's statement that Serbia had a nationalist leadership.

The Deputy President of the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), Radmila Šekerinska, said she sees a “political plan” behind Thursday’s clashes inside FYROM’s parliament and blamed the “system” of former prime minister Nikola Gruevski and the political decisions of FYROM President Gjorge Ivanov for the escalation of political tensions in the country.

After the rioting in Macedonia when hundreds of people stormed parliament building and beat up MPs after an ethnic Albanian was elected parliamentary speaker, the situation in neighbouring Macedonia was discussed at a meeting in Sofia between Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Stefan Yanev, Interior Minister Plamen Uzunov and heads of security structures, BNR reported.

Supporters of the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party which faces losing power after 11 years at the helm, took to the streets bearing cardboard shields, painted in the national colours, red and yellow, to display dislike for the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM)-led coalition government.

Parliament has two topics on its agenda: The election of a commission for appointments, which was agreed on last Thursday between the political parties, as well as the election of a new speaker.