North Macedonia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been informed about a Bulgarian citizen injured in an accident in Skopje before the football match between PFC "Levski" and the local FC "Shkupi". This was announced by the BTA department. According to initial information, it was an attack in the northern part of the city and stab wounds were inflicted with cold weapons.

Two-thirds of the citizens in North Macedonia put Bulgaria at the top of a list that includes the biggest opponents of their country's European integration.

In homophobic North Macedonia, the LGBT Safe House in Skopje provides a vital refuge for some of the country's most marginalised people.

Hundreds of people from North Macedonia with no papers - who cannot access any social services - can now get them thanks to the campaigning work of NGOs and some determined MPs.

"Bulgaria is the weakest member state of the EU and we (North Macedonia) have problems not with the strongest, but the weakest state in the EU. Bulgaria needs the EU much more than the EU needs Bulgaria. No one can convince me that the biggest EU capitals cannot put pressure on Bulgaria.

"Germany supports North Macedonia's EU membership and recognizes the identity, language and culture of its people. Now Skopje must implement the promised change in its constitution to remove all obstacles to the country's membership in the European community".

EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, believes that there is no obstacle to North Macedonia's accession to the block.

Pancreta Bank will make the first significant and fundamental step toward the creation of a strong bank in Greece with the full absorption of HSBC's operations in the country on July 28.

This will be followed by the completion of the mergers with Central Macedonia Bank and with Attica Bank. 

"While serving as Struga's mayor, Ramiz Merko misappropriated funds and interfered with judicial and other public processes, damaging the public's faith in North Macedonia's democratic institutions and officials," the US State Department explained shortly in a press release on Tuesday.

According to Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, the Republic of North Macedonia is not ready to start negotiations for EU membership: