Zaev

The foreign ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia voiced unanimous support on Saturday for North Macedonia and Albania to start EU membership talks, arguing that bilateral issues should not block the EU's enlargement into the Western Balkans.

According to Macedonian media, Zaev warned the EU that its reputation would "get a serious blow in the Balkans and lose its place in front of rival forces if it does not start membership negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania soon".

Zaev acted swiftly on his promise to sort out the decades-long dispute with Greece over the country's name, which had resulted in Athens blocking Skopje's bids to join the European Union and NATO.

Early general elections in North Macedonia, which were put on hold due to the COVID-19 crisis, will be held on July 15, the head of the main ruling Social Democrats, SDSM, Zoran Zaev, said on Monday, after striking a deal with the opposition parties.

The heads of North Macedonia's main political parties met at the presidential palace in Skopje on Tuesday and agreed to postpone the early elections, which were originally slated for April 12.

The modalities for the postponement and a new election date have yet to be determined, however.

Thousands of opposition supporters marched peacefully through North Macedonia's capital Skopje late Tuesday to protest what they claim was interference in the judiciary by the country's former prime minister.
The protest to the Supreme Court building was organized by the conservative main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party amid campaigning for early parliamentary elections on April 12.

Zoran Zaev gave two-and-a-half hours of evidence on Monday at Skopje Criminal Court about wiretapped conversations between former high-ranking North Macedonian officials that relatives of the victims and the defendants had hoped would shed more light on the case.

Four, not five

During Q3 2019, three new factories were opened and construction began on another, meaning Zaev's short-term investment promise of at least five was over-optimistic but almost on the money.

At the same time, three other companies signed contracts with the government to open two new factories and one new IT centre.

North Macedonia's parliament on Friday approved a new caretaker government under the country's former interior minister, after Zoran Zaev resigned as prime minister ahead of previously agreed early elections on April 12.

Under a deal made by major political parties, the caretaker government will be headed by Oliver Spasovski, who served in Zaev's center-left administration.