Zoran Zaev

Tight deadline to put grievances aside

The first to speak of the six-point protocol as a basis for fresh talks was Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, during the October 6 EU-Western Balkans summit in Slovenia.

North Macedonia's main opposition VMRO DPMNE party declared victory over the centre-left government on Sunday night after polls closed in the local elections, which would mark a striking political comeback after three election defeats to the ruling Social Democrats.

Local elections will be held today in the neighboring Republic of North Macedonia, a BGNES reported.

1,824,864 people have the right to vote. 301 candidates are running for mayor and 10,600 for municipal councilors. Twelve candidates are running for mayor of the capital, Skopje. The second round of elections will take place on October 31.

A no-confidence vote in the Romanian parliament overthrew the government of Prime Minister Florin Katsu, which took power in December 2020. The decision of the Social Democratic Party was supported by 281 MPs. The crisis in Romania began in September, when the coalition partner of the National Liberals - the USR-PLUS Alliance, stepped down from government.

Immediate decisions cannot be made to resolve the dispute between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, because Bulgaria is facing parliamentary and presidential elections. This was stated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the end of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Slovenia.

European leaders organised two meetings between Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev and North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev within a few hours in Brdo, on Wednesday, the Bulgarian presidency has announced.

Despite initial promises of a swift investigation into the deadly fire in a modular hospital in Tetovo on September 8 that claimed the lives of 14 COVID-19 patients, there is still no new official information about the causes of the tragedy.

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.