North Macedonia

The decision of the government of North Macedonia to scrap movement restrictions, starting Wednesday, and gradually reopen cafes on Thursday, has drawn criticism that the move is driven mainly by the ruling party's quest for early elections rather than being based on real assessments of the health situation.

Why this grave political mistake, I simply fail to understand. Now, in line with to electoral legislation, he has made way for a caretaker government which includes the opposition. "Wait, wait, wait - what?" you ask.

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

North Macedonia's president has extended the state of emergency due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic for two weeks, his cabinet said on May 15.

Health Minister Venko Filipce requested the state of emergency be extended for 30 days, but after consultations with experts President Stevo Pendarovski decided to extended it for a shorter period.

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.

Heads of State or Government of the EU and the Western Balkans will hold a video meeting to discuss the spread of Covid-19 and misinformation. The meeting is not set to set a date for the start of accession talks with Northern Macedonia and Albania, as it was originally intended, if the meeting had taken place in Zagreb.

The government in North Macedonia has rejected opposition accusations that has downplayed the tough preconditions that Bulgaria has set on the expected launch of EU membership talks and on the gradual solving of open issues.

The then opposition leader who later became the Prime Minister, Zoran Zaev [c], was among the badly injured during the mob attack. Photo: EPA/STR

More minnows than big fish on trial:

The parliament came under attack amid a tense political standoff between the allies and opponents of the former right-wing VMRO DPMNE government led by Nikola Gruevski.

North Macedonia's commercial banking sector remains liquid and profitable - but its current good health must be guarded, experts say, when nobody knows how long this crisis will last.

The US ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, on Tuesday in Washington said North Macedonia, which joined the alliance this year, will receive similar assistance to other member countries in dealing with fake news from Russia, North Macedonia's state-owned MIA news agency reported.