Zoran Zaev

The European Commission is hoping to start accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia before the end of the year, its president Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, as she started a regional tour ahead of the EU-Western Balkans summit on 6 October, news wires reported. "The future of North Macedonia is in the EU. We want you by our side.

Ahead of the EU-Western Balkans Summit on 6 October, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will be in the Western Balkans between Tuesday and Thursday, to visit Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, EC Press service reported.

Despite the difficulties it has encountered, the head count in North Macedonia at the moment is going well, the authorities said on Monday, expressing hope that the first census for almost two decades will come to a successful conclusion in ten days' time.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has rejected calls to temporarily shut all the other modular hospitals in North Macedonia as a precautionary measure, following a deadly fire in Tetovo hospital that killed 14 patients.

Zaev insisted that all 17 remaining modular facilities are working with boosted security and are invaluable in the fight against COVID infections.

The EU administration assessed negatively the initiative "Mini Schengen", also known as "Open Balkan", of the leaders of North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania and believes that it undermines the region's European integration.

Moreover, on his priority list is to launch the "Open Balkans" initiative.
Also, his priority is the launch of the "Open Balkans" initiative, i.e. the implementation of the agreement reached on July 29 by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vui, Edi Rama and the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev.

Opposition parties, government critics and some medical doctors have called for the resignation of North Macedonia's Health Minister, Venko Filipce, over the fire that took 14 lives in Tetovo's COVID-19 modular hospital earlier this week.

At least 10 people died in a fire at a modular hospital for patients with COVID-19 in Tetovo, North Macedonia.

Ten people died in a fire on Sept. 8 evening at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in North Macedonia, authorities said.

class='cf'>

The fire broke out following an explosion in a Covid-19 clinic in Tetovo in the northwest of the Balkan country, said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who immediately headed to the town.

The fire, which broke out around 9 pm, was extinguished.