Tag: reforms

Holding elections does not mean that necessary reform process in Macedonia has ended, these were the categorical statements by representatives of the international community, which were directly or indirectly involved in brokering the Pržino Agreement and its sequel reached on July 20 this year. Mainly, what's required is implement urgent reforms, the SPO can smoothly continue their work, all political...

The Pržino Agreement is not at a standstill, and the political leaders next week should come to an agreement over the date for elections, answered the US Ambassador to Macedonia, Jess Baily to journalists questions in Ohrid today. “No, I do not think that the Pržino Agreement is at a standstill. We, on July 20 spoke about how to move...

Today, dozens of Civil Organizations and experts presented their “Proposal for Urgent Democratic Reforms”, a document which presents two concise directions for the way key democratic changes should be conducted in the country. The main purpose of the document is to propose measures to implement urgent reforms that will create conditions for free, fair and credible elections. The initiators say that...

The long awaited meeting between the working groups representing the main political parties finally got underway at today. At the meeting in Pržino, Aivo Orav and Jess Baily will also be present, where discussions on media reforms will take place. Those attending the Przino meeting include Renata Desoska from the SDSM, Nikola Todorov from the ruling VMRO-DPMNE, Imer Ali...

Leader of the VMRO-DPMNA Nikola Gruevski and European Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, at today's meeting in Brussel spoke about the political crisis in the country, and the country’s journey back on the path for Euro-Atlantic integrations, says Maja Kocijacic for “Meta”. “The leaders have lost a lot of time. It is more than urgent than the parties all return...

The current situation in Macedonia is worrying! This is what the German Minister of State told the German Bundestag, which is the Committee for Foreign Affairs, reported “Sakam da kazam”. The portal reports that the spokesperson, Thorsten Frei, a member of the Committee and MP from the CDU/CSU in the Bundestag, brought some relief with the news that all pardons...

There is no more room for alibis, excuses for avoiding the obligations under the Pržino Agreement, stressed President Ivanov at the meeting with the special envoy sent by the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Ambassador Johannes Haindl. "Political leaders should demonstrate constructiveness, responsibility and a high regard for the interests of citizens and the state," Ivanov said, in a statement...

Dutch Ambassador Wouter Plomp while at today’s "Coffee Break" event, organized in cooperation with the Secretariat for European Affairs, answering a question by the media, said that everything on paper in the form of an Agreement, has to be fulfilled. As said by Plomp, the country must begin implementing the reforms, but the most important thing now is to focus...

In many areas, ranging from the judiciary, media, administration, security, institutions are all working with full capacity to prepare the first steps, drafts and whatever it takes to start the process as required by the report from the European Union or what is known as the Priebe report, said the VMRO-DPMNE leader, Nikola Gruevski while answering a journalist's question. He...

Today the DUI leader Ali Ahmeti at the EU headquarters in Skopje met with Christian Danielsson, the Director General for Enlargement at the European Commission and EU Ambassador Aivo Orav. DUI stated that at the meeting the main focus was recent developments in the country in implementing reforms and the Przhino Agreement. “DUI is committed and has full confidence on the...

I believe that political leaders will make sensible political decisions, acceptable for Macedonian citizens, as voters certainly have the last word, said Wouter Plomp, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Macedonia. Plomp believes that a speedy solution is of great interest for Macedonia and the Netherlands. We want the country to have a stable political climate, I urge Dutch guests without...

To hold fair and credible elections, a new interim Government has to be established to implement reforms, announced the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia. Apart from that, the party has yet to disclose whether they’re currently holding talks on the formation of such a government and its format. SDSM spokesman, Petre Shilegov at today's press conference said that they had...

The Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) this afternoon in a statement welcomed the adoption of the amendments to the Law on Pardons from Parliament and asked the people pardoned by President Gjorge Ivanov to request that their pardons are revoked, and for the President to act immediately. The party added that the with precision they will work to reform the institutions...

Today, the German Foreign Office welcomed Parliament's decision to ‘postpone once again’ the elections and calls for the implementation of credible reforms, and the urgent withdrawal of the pardons granted by President Gjorgi Ivanov to a large number of politicians last month. The German Foreign Office made the following statement on Twitter:   https://twitter.com/GermanyDiplo/status/733334511270891520 The statement also adds that Germany’s “special envoy, Ambassador...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands aligns itself in full with the statements made yesterday by the European Union and the United States, said a statement sent from the Embassy. “The Netherlands, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, calls upon all parties to now take responsible, decisive and inclusive actions that lead...

Representatives from five journalists' and media organizations today had a meeting with the President of the country Gjorge Ivanov, who discussed the possibility of resuming talks on media reforms before the election. They, as stated in a statement, told Ivanov that without fully implemented media reforms in Macedonia there will be no conditions for free and credible elections. "Representatives of the...

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia today in a statement welcomed the efforts of the European Union and the United States as facilitators in the Przhino Agreement and as guarantors of its implementation and encourages them to continue to discussions with political parties on media reforms as one of the important conditions for fair and credible elections. "The AJM welcomes...

SDSM have left the opportunity not to participate in elections on June 5, although party officials did not explicitly confirm this. They scheduled a briefing with reporters, and once again reiterated that they "will only participate in credible and democratic elections." As for speculation about reforms in the media that the leader of VMRO-DPMNE Nikola Gruevski said he will not continue...

Germany shares the opinion of the European Commission on the state of preparations for parliamentary elections in Macedonia, that it will take further reforms before there is an opportunity for elections in accordance with European standards, announced the German Embassy in Skopje on Thursday. The Embassy urges all political parties involved to make an effort and show political will to...

Today I expect to make progress and for the political parties to agree on reforms in the media, said the facilitator Peter Vanhoutte before today's final meeting and before the deadline for an agreement on reforms to the media. “I hope for progress in the negotiations and for all parties to be constructive. Today, we will discuss two issues regarding...