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Millennium Development Goals in Macedonia

Skopje

Independence in 1991 from the former Yugoslavia has not yet brought prosperity to Macedonia. The shock of transition from a traditional socialist economy to free market capitalism reduced GDP by 50% within 5 years and created mass unemployment which remains an intractable problem. Although an extensive informal economy renders data unreliable, in 2006 30% of the population were living below the poverty line, assessed as 70% of median income. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for Macedonia stipulate a target of 9.5% below the poverty line, an ambition which looks unlikely to be achieved by 2015.

In other respects Macedonia has made reasonable progress and prospects for achieving the Goals are broadly sound; for example, thanks to the provision of a universal healthcare system, health indicators are good and life expectancy of its citizens is one of the highest in the region. Safe potable water is available to more than 90% of the population and the risk of spread of diseases is low with wide coverage of vaccination programs. HIV/AIDS is not a serious health problem for the country, although data collection is poor. Gender issues are relatively forward apart from concerns for widely unreported domestic violence.

Macedonia has no formal Poverty Reduction Strategy but will need to demonstrate effective policies to assist disadvantaged sectors of the population as part of its application to become a member of the European Union (EU).

Conflict in Macedonia

Macedonian troops © Alex smailes

Hopes of EU membership are even more dependent on evidence that Macedonia can bring to an end its history of nationalism and lack of respect for the rights of minorities which has brought the country to the brink of civil war in recent years. The most serious threat to stability lies in the tense relations between the Slav majority and ethnic Albanians who comprise 25% of the population.

Prior to 2001, this Albanian minority suffered discrimination and exclusion from the political mechanisms of the state which eventually led to violence in the province of Tetovo. The intervention of NATO defused hostilities, and the

Tetovo

opposing parties signed the Ohrid Agreement which underpinned an improvement in minority rights. The Macedonian government in power at that time took all steps to implement the Ohrid agreement culminating in the 2004 Territorial Organization Act which creates greater powers of local governance to ethnic Albanians and which was a key condition for continuing EU negotiations.

Disarmament in Macedonia

The anxiety of the international community reflected in the Ohrid Agreement is not confined to the internal stability of Macedonia. There are fears that any dislocation in the path to independence of neighbouring Kosovo could inspire a militant alliance between the Kosovan and Macedonian Albanians, potentially bringing violence to the northwestern regions of the country. In this context, 2008 is a particularly sensitive year.

A further barrier to EU entry is the political dispute between Macedonia and Greece over the name of the new country; a border province in Greece is also called Macedonia and the Greeks threaten to veto any aspirations to EU and NATO membership. As negotiations continue under UN mediation, the country is formally known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Politics in Macedonia

Ali Ahmeti

Unfortunately, the immature democracy in Macedonia is doing little to calm the nerves of international observers concerned about ethnic division. There are two parties representing the interests of the ethnic Albanians and, after the parliamentary elections of July 2006, the leader of the victorious nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party, Nikola Gruevski, chose to form his new government in coalition with the smaller Democratic Party of Albanians (DPA). The larger Democratic Union of Integration (DUI), led by former Kosovan liberation fighter Ali Ahmeti, has taken exception to its exclusion. The poor relations between the three parties has disrupted parliamentary proceedings, in one instance ending in fisticuffs. There is also reported to be tension between the prime minister and the president of the Republic, Branko Crvenkovski who was elected in 2004, the latter apparently uncomfortable with his largely ceremonial role.

Branko Crvenkovski

The consequence was a stern lecture by Ollie Rehn, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, to the effect that irresponsible political behaviour was holding up essential reforms. Macedonia has been granted Candidate status and the dream of EU accession dominates the business of government. The country has to demonstrate greater respect for human rights, peaceful relations with neighbouring countries, proportional representation of minorities in state mechanisms and the adoption of European values and laws. A particular concern is the judiciary. Lack of training, especially in humanitarian law, and lack of full independence make the provision of fair, adequate and impartial trials for Macedonian ethnic communities unlikely. The international community and civil society groups continue to lobby for the modernisation of the legal system.

TI Macedonia press conference

Closely related is the high level of corruption in Macedonia which negatively affects its development process. An entrenched network of Government officials of various departments, businessmen, judges, political parties and minority leaders are responsible, reducing the credibility of the state and further alienating its citizens. Although numerous civil society organisations have been encouraged to form since independence, they lack deep roots within the community. Neither government nor the general public is entirely comfortable with the sector and efforts are under way to establish more permanent and constructive dialogue with the central government.
Education in Macedonia

The Macedonian educational system has been problematic since the early 1990s, reflecting both the weakness of the economy, and the divisions between the Slav-Macedonian majority and the minorities. It has been argued that ethnic segregation in the schools of Macedonia was one of the main reasons why violence erupted in the area of Tetovo in 2001. The Ohrid Agreement backed by the international community was the turning point for positive developments in education. Even though symbolic changes have been made, such as the foundation of the University of Tetovo, there is still the need for further progress. Roma children particularly stand out as falling behind in almost all education indicators. More efforts are in hand to assist the Roma community, which comprises 2.5% of the population, to overcome discrimination in the provision of documentation necessary to gain access to health and education services.
Information and Media in Macedonia

Macedonian students launch wireless Internet network © Academy for Educational Development

Macedonia has recently become the first wireless country. With the installation of a low cost wireless broadband network, schools, universities and remote villages can connect to the internet at a low cost. This development known as Macedonia Connects has the potential to create a new public space in which local populations can link up with users from other countries in a parallel cyber-civil society.
The Environment in Macedonia

There are some serious environmental issues that Macedonia has to address in order to reach international standards. Waste management is the most pressing problem as there is no modern infrastructure to dispose waste safely.

Garbage in Macedonia

There are many illegal pits through which hazardous materials pollute the land, rivers and lakes. Compounding this problem is the disclosure of the intention of the Macedonia government to allow the dumping of nuclear waste in the village of Petrovec close to the highly populated capital city of Skopje.

Bad air quality is reported in the big urban areas like Skopje. The Macedonian government has not invested heavily in monitoring mechanisms that can identify environmental issues and propose solutions.
The Economy in Macedonia

The transition from the old Yugoslav central planning to a market economy has proved uncomfortable for Macedonia. The government has pursued neo-liberal policies to improve the macroeconomic picture of the country, joining the World Trade Organisation and aiming to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). However, high levels of local and regional socio-political risk together with a sluggish bureaucracy have so far discouraged investors.

Successive privatisations of state-owned businesses created widespread job losses for which replacement industries and services have yet to emerge. Indeed the most worrisome economic indicator is unemployment, which is running consistently at an average level of well over 30%, with deep regional and ethnic variations. For the disadvantaged minority Roma community, unemployment stands at over 75% according to the MDG progress report. EU accession will depend on a reduction in the informal economy which the government is attempting to address by reform of tax and national insurance.



The OneWorld Macedonia Guide was first published in this format in December 2005 with a text written by Volunteer Editor Emmanouil Vrentzos

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