Republic of North Macedonia

North Macedonia is tired of encountering obstacles on its path to EU membership and will no longer accept ultimatums, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told media during a visit to Brussels.

Parliament in North Macedonia is gearing up to elect an ethnic Albanian as speaker, signalling an imminent end to coalition talks and the formation of a new government led by the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party. 

Voters in North Macedonia were casting ballots on Wednesday in a parliamentary election and a presidential runoff dominated by issues including the country's path toward European Union membership, corruption and the economy.

Opposition candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova is in the lead after winning almost almost 40% of the first-round vote. The election comes as North Macedonia seeks EU membership.

The parliament in North Macedonia elected the country's first ethnic Albanian prime minister, tabbing Talat Xhaferi to head a new caretaker government tasked with organizing free and fair parliamentary elections on May 8.

North Macedonia will hold double presidential and parliamentary elections in late April and early May, the leaders of the political parties agreed on Monday.

The leaders discussed strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence, growing geostrategic competition, NATO’s continued support to Ukraine, and the situation in the Western Balkans.

The Council [of the EU] today adopted an assistance measure under the European Peace Facility (EPF) worth €9 million to the benefit of the army of North Macedonia (ARMK). This decision is part of the EU’s efforts to further strengthen its security engagement with its Western Balkan partners.

Today, North Macedonia takes over the OSCE Chair with a main focus on the needs of the people. … [Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar] Osmani will officially inaugurate North Macedonia’s Chairpersonship and outline its priorities at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting in Vienna on 12 January 2023.

After accepting the ‘French deal’, North Macedonia’s long-delayed EU accession talks are finally underway. … But the deal comes at a high price. It obliges North Macedonia to change its constitution to name Bulgarians as a constitutive people, before EU accession talks can start in essence.