North Macedonia - Articoli

North Macedonia at the polls today

15/07/2020 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

After the postponement because of COVID19, Macedonian voters are called today to elect the new parliament. Preceded by an election campaign rich in populist rhetoric and bombastic promises, today's consultations feature elements of continuity, but also interesting news


Not just apps: privacy, personal data and COVID-19 in the western Balkans

19/05/2020 -  Federico Caruso

The measures adopted by some Balkan countries to contain the pandemic have raised perplexity in associations and researchers who deal with privacy and digital rights. Emergency actions, derogating from the national rules of law, could translate into mass surveillance tools.


North Macedonia, coronavirus stops elections

19/03/2020 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

The coronavirus epidemic has led the Macedonian authorities to postpone the early elections scheduled for April 12th to a later date. Now the priority is citizens' health


"Honeyland" and the relaunch of Macedonian cinema

07/02/2020 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

With its nomination for two Oscars, award-winning film "Honeyland" has relaunched the prospects of North Macedonia's cinema in a year of great success. But is the country ready to create a long-term cultural strategy? Our analysis


North Macedonia in the "mini Schengen" looking glass

12/12/2019 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

North Macedonia has enthusiastically welcomed the mini-Schengen initiative in the Western Balkans, wanted by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. A deeper analysis, however, reveals many doubts and concerns


French "no" to UE negotiations causes early elections in North Macedonia

24/10/2019 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

North Macedonia remains at the EU's door again, this time because of France's opposition. Disappointed with the "Macron" vote, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev tries to run for cover by calling for early elections


Albania and North Macedonia: will accession talks finally open?

16/10/2019 -  Ornaldo Gjergji

After years of discussions, the EU has not opened negotiations to enlarge to Albania and North Macedonia yet, chiefly because of French opposition. Will this week's European Council finally mark a breakthrough for the accession process?


Ohrid and its lake, a UNESCO heritage in danger

24/09/2019 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

Ohrid and its lake represent an exceptional heritage of art, history, architecture, and nature, part of the World Heritage List since 1979. However, due to illegal construction and pollution, it may end up in the list of endangered locations


Balkans: the tired Media Days

25/09/2019 -  Matteo Trevisan

Three years after its first edition, the impression that emerges from the Media Days – an event promoted by the EU Commission in the Balkans – is that of a telenovela with a predictable ending, where the characters move within a well-defined perimeter. But the region's media need more


North Macedonia, Skopje's first Pride

28/06/2019 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

Tomorrow Skopje is holding its first Pride, with the support of important institutional representatives. A step forward for the rights of the Northern Macedonia's LGTBI community, in a historically difficult context


North Macedonia, Pendarovski is the new president

13/05/2019 -  Ilija Minovski Skopje

Social Democrat Stevo Pendarovski is the new president of North Macedonia. Despite the victory, however, Prime Minister Zaev announced a reshuffle to revive the reforms


Northern Macedonia, risk of low turnout for the presidential elections

02/05/2019 -  Ilija Minovski Skopje

The second round of the presidential elections in Northern Macedonia will see competing Stevo Pendarovski, supported by the Social Democrats, and Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, supported by VMRO. The uncertain electoral race, however, will likely be affected by low voter turnout


“Honeyland”: take half, leave half

04/04/2019 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

Hatidze is the last honey hunter from North Macedonia – an ancient trade based on a delicate balance with nature. The "Honeyland" documentary, awarded three times at the Sundance Film Festival, tells her incredible story


(North) Macedonia and the Prespa agreement, success or defeat?

06/02/2019 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

Contrasting reactions in (North) Macedonia to the ratification of the Prespa agreement by Greece. The government celebrates a unique opportunity and investment in the future, the opposition laments an unbalanced agreement and loss of identity


(North) Macedonia, the new name comes with hopes and high costs

17/01/2019 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski

Last week, the Skopje parliament gave the green light to changing the country's constitutional name, to become North Macedonia after the expected ratification by Greece. An overview by our correspondent


Skopje, Europe's most polluted capital

28/12/2018 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

Macedonia's capital has been declared the most polluted in Europe – a sad record, consequence of bad policies and a chronic lack of long-term vision


Cowboy Makedonski

18/12/2018 -  Francesca Rolandi

A documentary tells the story of a young Macedonian who arrived in Italy in the 1990s, looking for a job. We talked with the authors of this Italian-Macedonian production


Macedonia, the Gruevski's escape

20/11/2018 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Gruevski, sentenced to two years in prison for the illicit purchase of a luxury limousine, fled to Hungary seeking political asylum. The scandal has had a massive impact on the Hungarian as well as Macedonian political scene


(North) Macedonia, the price of a name

23/10/2018 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

With the support of some opposition MPs, the Skopje government has started the process of changing the country's constitution and name. The controversial process is unlikely to end before January 2019


After the referendum, Macedonia still divided on the name issue

03/10/2018 -  Ilija Minovski Skopje

Despite the low turnout in Sunday's "name referendum", Macedonia's government is still pushing to reach a compromise with the opposition to change the Constitution. In case no agreement is secured, though, snap elections will follow


Macedonians to vote on new name

28/09/2018 -  Ilija Minovski Skopje

Macedonian citizens will vote on Sunday on the Prespa agreement, which foresees "Republic of North Macedonia" as a new constitutional name for their country, in an attempt to overcome the long "name dispute" with Greece


Macedonia, the dark side of football

26/07/2018 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

The murder of a young soccer fan in Skopje highlighted several football-related issues that Macedonian society has neglected for a long time: from the presence of intolerant ideologies among supporters' groups to their ties – often opaque – with politics


North Macedonia: agreement sparks controversy in Greece

29/06/2018 -  Elvira Krithari Athens

What the agreement really offered, apart from turning the page for two Balkan countries, is a chance to observe political tendencies in Greece, by highlighting parties’ true colors and capacities


Name issue agreement, the day after in (North) Macedonia

25/06/2018 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

After almost 25 years of negotiation, Athens and Skopje agreed to end the long-lasting name dispute. The road to finalizing the agreement, though, is still long and in (North) Macedonia the society and political parties remain bitterly divided on the issue


Connecting Western Balkans to the European Union

17/05/2018 -  Gentiola Madhi*

In the last few years, "connectivity" has been one of the keywords of the process of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans. An analysis


EU enlargement: a new strategy, with hands by the brakes

01/03/2018 -  Francesco Martino

The European Commission has renewed its strategy for the accession of the western Balkans as an essential geo-strategic investment for the EU. From Brussels, however, no concessions can be expected.


"Kumanovo group", heavy convictions for the 2015 shootout

27/11/2017 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

The ethnic-Albanian members of the so-called "Kumanovo group" received long sentences by the Skopje Court. The ruling, however, doesn't clarify all the many doubts on the case


Macedonia: a landslide victory for Zaev in the local elections

08/11/2017 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski Skopje

After the SDSM’s landslide victory in the local elections, the coalition led by Zoran Zaev has now steady ground to implement systematic reforms, start legal proceedings related to the wiretapping scandal, and dismantle the mechanisms that enabled the state capture by former prime minister Nikola Gruevski


The whistleblower who overthrew Macedonia’s government

03/11/2017 -  Borjan Jovanovski

Former intelligence collaborator Gjorgi Lazarevski disclosed thousands of illegal wiretappings. "Bombs" which brought to the end of Gruevski's government


Finding Tito

04/09/2017 -  Giorgio Comai

Recently Zagreb city assembly decided to rename the square named after Josip Broz Tito. But how many streets and squares in the former Yugoslavia are dedicated to the former Yugoslav President?