North Macedonia accelerates EU accession push and highway construction

Croatian MEP Carlo Resler said Macedonia has been treated unfairly by the EU and stressed that enlargement is now a strategic interest rather than a technical issue. He warned that the Union must balance bureaucratic processes with Balkan realities and questioned whether the EU truly wants new members or only wants Macedonia kept at a distance from China and Russia.

Meanwhile, Macedonian officials announced a major infrastructure boom. The government will start building the 10.5‑km Skopje‑Blače motorway in August, a €235 million project with €30.8 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The road will link Skopje with Kosovo and further to Tirana, Durrës and the port of Bar. Work is also progressing on the Ohrid‑Kičevë highway, with 37 km already open and full completion expected by 2027. Authorities say the projects will make Macedonia a key transport hub on the Balkan corridor.