She said that the sub-measure “Employment and Growth of Legal Entities” provides support for the creation of 1,385 jobs. For every newly employed person, state assistance will range from 160,000 to 250,000 denars.

A total of 332,650,000 denars, or approximately €5.4 million, has been allocated for the implementation of this measure, Kuzmanoska said. A company may receive support for hiring no more than five people.

The amount of 250,000 denars, which is also the highest grant, is intended for employers who hire young people up to the age of 29.

Meanwhile, support worth 220,000 denars per person will be provided for recipients of guaranteed minimum assistance, members of the Roma community, persons with disabilities, women, the long-term unemployed, and Roma women with secondary or higher education.

For hiring unemployed persons over the age of 29, the employer will receive a grant of 160,000 denars for each new job.

A new element of the measure is the inclusion of people returning from abroad. For each person hired from this category, the employer will receive an additional 10 percent on top of the approved grant, depending on the category of the unemployed person.

According to Kuzmanoska, these measures aim to open up new employment opportunities, encourage citizens’ professional development, and create better conditions for the growth and development of the domestic economy.

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By obstructing reforms and European integration, citizens are harming themselves, depriving themselves of significant European funds and investments that would boost the economy and quality of life.

To illustrate this, SDSM gave concrete examples: “Montenegro has already secured more than 3.2 billion euros from the European Union. Croatia, through its membership, has so far benefited by 10 billion euros. Meanwhile, Macedonia, due to VMRO-DPMNE’s stubborn stance, remains without billions of euros and without prospects for further development.”

“Citizens should be aware that because of this policy, Macedonia is losing billions of euros and an opportunity for a brighter future,” SDSM concluded.

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From this party, they assess that the truth has been revealed to the public: that SDSM, “The Left” and DUI are operating in coordination, with a common objective that is not related to the adoption of the new Electoral Code.

“The bad political theatre of SDSM, DUI and ‘The Left’ has been exposed. Some publicly called for talks, others demonstratively refused them, and in essence they are all working towards the same result: that there be no agreement.

This is not a political disagreement, but a script carefully prepared by SDSM, ‘The Left’ and DUI.

SDSM, ‘The Left’ and DUI are not interested in modern electoral rules, nor in facilitating voting for the Macedonian diaspora. Instead of supporting reforms, they choose blockades, calculations and political interests.

The goal, according to VMRO-DPMNE, is clear: to create an alibi in advance for the next electoral cycle.

Some will refer to the recommendations of the OSCE and ODIHR, others will talk about the conditions of the electoral campaign, and others will claim that the will of the citizens was not respected. These are justifications they are preparing in advance, because they have no arguments,” says VMRO-DPMNE./Telegrafi/

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During the reading of the verdict, Judge Daniela Aleksovska emphasized that the process was influenced by the 2023 amendments to the Criminal Code and the corresponding modification of the indictment.

“Although there were reformulations in the indictment, the evidence and facts presented did not change. The court concludes that the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant Gruevski exceeded his official duties,” Aleksovska stated.

She underlined that the trial panel fully supported the perspective of the Court of Appeals, according to which the revisions to the Criminal Code are favorable to the accused.

The acquittal, according to her, stems directly from the legal changes adopted in 2023, which also led to the annulment of the initial conviction in this case.

“Even though this decision differs from the previous one, the court’s examination and interpretation of the evidence, facts, and conclusions have remained the same. Based on the same evidentiary material on which the commission of the crime through abuse of office was previously established, the court now considers that it was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that it was committed through exceeding authority or failure to perform official duties,” Aleksovska declared.

She confirmed that the court maintains an unchanged approach in analyzing and evaluating evidence, basing its decisions solely on established facts.

Present at the verdict hearing in the Skopje Criminal Court were the court-appointed lawyers for Gruevski, Petar Timovski, and for VMRO-DPMNE, Kristina Manevska, as well as the party’s legal representative, Lubica Nikollovska.

The costs of the court proceedings will be covered by the state budget, while the court also dismissed the prosecution’s request for the seizure of the VMRO-DPMNE headquarters.

This is a first-instance decision, and the involved parties may appeal it to higher judicial instances.

In April 2023, the “Talir 2” case was taken over by prosecutor Kristian Smilevski from the Skopje Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office, following the withdrawal of the previous prosecutor, Lenče Ristovska.

The Skopje Court of Appeals, in January 2024, overturned the first verdict for the “Talir 2” case due to amendments to the Criminal Code affecting Article 353, sending the case back for retrial at the first instance.

Meanwhile, the charge of “abuse of official position” against former government secretary general Kiril Bozhinovski became time-barred, while the proceedings continued only for former Prime Minister Gruevski and the political entity VMRO-DPMNE.

On June 7, 2022, the Skopje Criminal Court handed down its initial decision, under which Gruevski, who is abroad, received a non-final sentence of six years imprisonment, while Kiril Bozhinovski received a suspended sentence.

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LSDM stresses that even if inflation has fallen, the consumer basket remains out of reach for many families. They add that the current level of inflation is significantly higher than what Mickoski had promised in the government program and in the 2026 budget.

According to them, the prices of basic products remain high, while wages in Macedonia are still among the lowest in Europe. LSDM believes that the minimum wage in the country is far below that of neighboring countries, while even the average wage does not guarantee a normal standard of living.

They further describe as worrying the decline in foreign investment, which they say has dropped by more than 60% compared with the period before this government came to power.

In its reaction, LSDM stresses that instead of economic development and the creation of new jobs, the country is experiencing stagnation and an outflow of capital. According to the party, although Mickoski tries to speak of “economic successes,” the real situation is completely different. They say that Macedonia under his leadership has turned into the third economy of empty refrigerators, where the government boasts about figures while citizens struggle to survive.

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According to LSDM, the Government has misled the public with its statements on economic growth. The opposition referred to projections by the International Monetary Fund, which foresee North Macedonia’s economy posting average growth of 3% over the next five years.

LSDM believes that this pace will leave the country behind other states in the region. It also cites the decline in foreign investment, the contraction of industrial production, and the increase in public debt as negative indicators.

“Ahead of Macedonia are Albania with 3.19%, Serbia with 3.5%, Moldova, Ukraine and Kosovo with 3.95%. This is the reality and the truth. Everything else was political lies. In the end, citizens know this and feel it best through their empty wallets and empty refrigerators,” said Natasha Popoviq of LSDM.

On the other hand, VMRO-DPMNE denied these claims, calling them manipulation. According to the ruling party, the International Monetary Fund’s assessments are only forecasts, while the Government is implementing investments, infrastructure projects and policies that, it says, are already delivering results.

MP Bojan Stojanoski said inflation in June fell to 3.4%, while food and non-alcoholic beverage prices have stabilized as a result of the measures taken during the energy crisis.

“The successful implementation of the government’s measures for the energy crisis was also confirmed in a timely manner by the IMF, which stressed that Macedonia is among the top three countries for the measures undertaken to soften the shock of fuel prices,” said Bojan Stojanovski of VMRO-DPMNE.

While LSDM argues that the Government’s economic policies have worsened living standards and calls for a different approach to managing the economy, VMRO-DPMNE defends the position that the economy is making progress and that citizens’ standard of living will improve through investment and the responsible management of public finances.

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He stressed that the objective remains for the current government to complete its full term, but underlined that as a party they are prepared at any time for a new electoral process.

“We are aiming for a full mandate, that is, four years. Now, if there are political forces and a majority in Parliament, VMRO-DPMNE is ready to go to elections at any time,” Mickoski declared.

This question from the media came after several viral polls from ruling and opposition parties were published today, according to which VMRO-DPMNE showed significantly higher support than SDSM, while DUI had greater support than VLEN.

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According to the party, this assessment by the European Commission proves that the country is on the right track and that the progress achieved has been recognized by the institution that measures the quality and implementation of reforms.

VMRO-DPMNE also stresses that another sign of the success of the reforms is the European Commission’s proposal for the reallocation of funds from the Growth Plan, which would bring greater financial support to the states that have achieved the best results.

“This is recognition of the work that has been done, but also an opportunity for Macedonia to secure additional funds for development,” the party said.

In the same statement, the party expressed the view that it is incomprehensible that, according to it, SDSM and Levica continue to block laws stemming from the Reform Agenda.

“Every obstacle from SDSM and Levica does not obstruct the Government, but instead obstructs the fulfillment of the state’s obligations and endangers the opportunities opened up by the Growth Plan,” the statement said.

VMRO-DPMNE called on SDSM and Levica to abandon their day-to-day political interests and support the laws related to the Reform Agenda, including the Electoral Code, stressing that they are in the interest of the citizens and the country’s European future.

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According to him, this rebalance should not be seen as a document dictated by crisis or panic, but as a financial instrument that aligns revenues and expenditures with real developments in the economy, directing funds where the development impact is greatest.

Stojanoski underlined that under the rebalance, total revenues are increasing by 4.6 billion denars, while capital investments are rising by 5.8 billion denars, or 14.5 percent.

He said that an increase of nearly six billion denars in capital spending does not mean unnecessary expenditure, but rather investment in roads, railways, water supply systems, sewage networks, healthcare institutions, schools, student dormitories, sports facilities, and environmental projects.

He further announced that in the first five months of the year, tax revenues were 6.3 percent higher compared with the same period last year, with growth recorded in VAT revenues, personal income tax, and corporate profit tax.

Stojanoski also said that the implementation of capital expenditures during the first five months was 44.8 percent higher than a year earlier, which according to him proves that projects do not remain only on paper.

He also stressed that the rebalance provides additional funds for healthcare, education, social protection, the environment, local infrastructure, agriculture, and municipalities, as well as for projects financed by European funds.

Speaking about macroeconomic indicators, Stojanoski said that GDP in the first quarter recorded growth of 3.1 percent, construction grew by 7.2 percent, industrial production by 7.6 percent, while foreign direct investment recorded growth of 46.8 percent.

“This rebalance is realistic, structured, and development-oriented. The figures show that revenues are rising, capital investments are increasing, and more funds are being directed toward projects that directly improve the lives of citizens,” said Stojanoski.

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According to the party, with more than 10,000 amendments, SDSM and Levica are deliberately obstructing the adoption of the new Electoral Code, even though, they say, political parties have been working on this law for months to ensure broad consensus.

VMRO-DPMNE says that Venko Zaev and SDSM do not want the Macedonian diaspora to be allowed to vote electronically. As the reason, they cite their belief that Venko and SDSM know they have lost the trust of Macedonians, both in the country and abroad, and are therefore trying in every way to limit their democratic right to vote.

They further stress that the same people who, according to them, contributed through wrong policies to the departure of thousands of citizens from Macedonia are today seeking to deny these people easier access to their right to vote. According to VMRO-DPMNE, this is the true face of SDSM.

The party also says that Apasiev and Levica have once again shown that their only interest is money and not the citizens. They add that, although during the negotiations all of their demands were accepted, which were related to greater funding for political parties and election campaigns, they are now blocking the same law they had negotiated over.

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