On the occasion of the Ilinden holiday – Republic Day, citizens of North Macedonia will enjoy a long weekend.

This year, the August 2 holiday falls on a Sunday. Under the Law on Holidays, Monday, August 3, will be a non-working day for all citizens of North Macedonia.

Consequently, the break will last three consecutive days: Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

The next official holiday for all citizens of North Macedonia will be on September 8, the date on which the independence of North Macedonia is commemorated./Telegrafi/

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According to SDSM deputy leader Jovana Trenčevska, the situation of citizens is continuously worsening and their well-being is significantly declining. She emphasized that the latest budget revision has clearly exposed the failure of the economic strategy led by VMRO-DPMNE.

Trenčevska warned that in recent days, consumers have been hit by a new wave of price hikes. Fuel and thermal energy have increased, while the executive has still not taken any concrete action to protect the living standards of families.

“The truth is that with each passing day, life for people becomes more difficult. Yesterday we saw petrol reach 95 denars, diesel 98.5 denars, and heating register a 6 percent increase. So, we have an unceasing increase and no protective measures for the population’s living standard,” Trenčevska stated.

She added that the budget rebalance serves as a clear signal of the trajectory the state is following and cited as an example the chapter dedicated to the Ministry of Social Policy and Demography.

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Traces of the powerful storm that swept through the capital last week remain visible in many areas of Skopje. Broken branches, fallen trunks, leaves, and other debris are still found on roads and sidewalks, hindering normal pedestrian movement.

Residents express deep dissatisfaction with the lack of concrete action, even though a full week has passed since the event. According to them, the cleaning of public spaces is not being carried out properly and wooden materials continue to block pathways.

“No work is being done at all, all the trees have been left on the road, nothing is happening,” said one angry resident. Another added: “This is a real disaster, we can’t even open our windows or sleep comfortably. I call on the mayor to remove these obstacles as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, another citizen highlighted concerns about the broader consequences of the situation: “Waste is a problem everywhere in Macedonia, and now these branches we see from the strong wind need to be cleaned up and treated. If left like this, an ecological problem is created. I don’t know if the Municipal Hygiene department has this issue in mind.”

Citizens are appealing to the responsible authorities to speed up the cleaning operations and the removal of branches found on every street corner, so that life can return to normal. On the other hand, municipal officials announce that most of the damage caused by last Tuesday’s storm has already been repaired, while in some specific areas, cleanup work is still ongoing.

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A week after bad weather swept through Skopje, the damage is still visible in many parts of the city, where broken branches, fallen tree trunks and other debris continue to occupy the streets.

Residents express outrage that, despite seven days having passed, the necessary steps to clear the streets and sidewalks of plant material have not yet been taken, which is making their daily movement difficult.

“No one is dealing with cleaning up the trees that have fallen on the street, nothing is being done,” complained one resident.

Another citizen described the situation as severe: “This is a great disaster, we cannot open the windows, nor sleep comfortably. I call on the mayor to remove these obstacles.”

“Garbage is a problem throughout Macedonia, and these branches knocked down by the strong wind must also be removed, they must be dealt with, otherwise an environmental problem arises. I don’t know if the municipal sanitation department is taking this issue into account,” stressed another resident.

Residents call on the competent authorities to speed up cleanup operations and remove the branches scattered on every street corner, so that the situation can return to normal. On the other hand, city authorities claim that they have eliminated most of the consequences of last Tuesday’s storm, while cleanup work continues in some areas.

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During the month of July, the Health Insurance Fund disbursed an amount exceeding 560 million denars to cover medical leave compensations, with the vast majority of these funds being dedicated to maternity leave.

The institution emphasizes that payments of benefits for temporary incapacity for work are being made uninterruptedly and within the set deadlines.

By July 28, 2026, even though the month had not yet ended, the Fund had transferred a total of 560.9 million denars for medical leave benefits. Of this amount, 420.3 million denars went to maternity leave benefits, while 140.6 million denars went to other categories of health leaves.

“This represents the highest amount ever paid in a single month for medical leave compensations, which once again demonstrates the Fund’s unwavering commitment to securing the necessary financial resources in real time for the exercise of insured persons’ rights,” the Fund announced, specifying that maternity payments are not experiencing any delays.

As far as maternity leave is concerned, the only prerequisite for starting payments is that the contributions for the first month have been settled according to the legal framework. Once this criterion is met, the compensation for each subsequent month is transferred immediately as soon as the respective month ends, after a preliminary administrative process, expert review, and approval by the responsible structures of the institution.

For other forms of medical leave, in addition to administrative processing, case review, and granting of approval, the legislation requires as a preliminary condition that the contributions for the month for which the payment is made have been paid beforehand. Precisely because of this legal obligation, in some individual cases, the payment process may be extended. This rule does not apply to maternity leave, where after the first payment, the procedure proceeds continuously.

The Fund remains focused on efficiently handling requests and ensuring an uninterrupted flow of compensations, so that insured persons may enjoy their legal rights without delays, concludes the FSSH announcement.

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Although it has recorded a slight decrease compared to the previous month, the costs to cover a family’s essential expenses remain at significant levels. Calculations of the minimum union basket show that in June 2026, a family needed 68,654 denars to cover basic living needs. If compared to May, when this value reached 68,742 denars, there is a contraction of only 88 denars.

The most significant item in a family’s budget during this period is again expenses for food and beverages. For this group, 25,120 denars are needed, representing 36.6 percent of total expenses.

Next are expenses for education at 7,192 denars, clothing and footwear at 6,511 denars, and the item for rent, water, electricity, and heating, which amounts to 6,379 denars.

For families living in a 60-square-meter rented apartment, the minimum union basket is significantly higher, reaching 84,024 denars per month.

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The register includes 2,007 legal entities, 66 more than on the previous list. The number of individuals stands at 3,149, representing an increase of 32 debtors.

The recorded liabilities became due for payment by March 31, 2026, and remained unpaid as of June 30, 2026. They relate to VAT, corporate income tax, personal income tax, mandatory social insurance contributions, excise duties and customs duties.

The publication includes individuals and self-employed persons whose debt exceeds 120,000 denars, as well as legal entities with liabilities exceeding 300,000 denars.

According to PRA data, the net amount of published debt totals 13.08 billion denars. Compared with the previous list, this represents an increase of more than 162 million denars.

The largest share of this debt, namely 12.86 billion denars, relates to taxes and contributions, while customs liabilities amount to 213.57 million denars.

Taxpayers who dispute the published information may contact the relevant regional PRA office or the Customs Administration, depending on the nature of the debt.

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During this process, 863,100 annual tax returns were generated. Of these, 704,443 are accessible through user profiles on the e-Tax Services platform, while the remainder belong to individuals who have not yet opened a user profile on this portal and therefore cannot review their return, verify the data, or download the payment order.

The Public Revenue Office is calling on all natural persons who do not yet have an account on e-Tax Services to register as soon as possible at https://e-ujp.ujp.gov.mk.

“Verifying your return is both a right and a responsibility that belongs to you — only through the system can you find out whether you need to pay an additional amount or are entitled to a tax refund,” emphasizes the Public Revenue Office (DAP).

Out of the 704,443 available returns, 26,653 were personally confirmed by the taxpayers themselves, and another 1,145 were corrected by them — corrections that are now being processed by DAP officials. The remaining returns, 676,645 in number, were officially confirmed by the institution.

According to DAP, these figures show that a large portion of citizens did not review and confirm their own tax returns. Although the law provides for the possibility of official confirmation, this means that the taxpayer has not checked the data and has not made an informed decision based on it. Income data is generated by DAP based on payers’ reports, and if some income has not been recorded or has been recorded incorrectly, the citizen can only notice this by reviewing the return. An unchecked and automatically confirmed return risks causing late discovery of errors, incorrect amounts, and additional liabilities, explains the Office.

Statistics show that in 313,519 cases, citizens paid more tax than they owed, while 208,857 individuals have an obligation for additional payment. Around 182,000 returns indicate that the tax was calculated and collected accurately during the year, with no need for additional payments or refunds. Among taxpayers who overpaid, 617 have requested a refund of the overpaid tax, for a total amount of 32,397,022 denars.

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The rating of North Macedonia’s passport is linked to the opportunity it gives citizens to travel visa-free to 127 countries around the world. This index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), while the main indicator is the number of destinations citizens of a country can enter without a visa.

Singapore remains in first place this year as well, with its citizens entitled to travel visa-free to 192 countries.

It is followed by Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, which share second place with visa-free access to 188 countries, while Sweden ranks third with 187 countries.

In fourth place are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain, whose passports allow visa-free travel to 186 countries.

Austria, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Switzerland rank fifth, with visa-free access to 185 countries./Telegrafi/

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