North Macedonia raises culture, tourism, education budgets under VMRO‑DPMNE

The government of North Macedonia, led by the VMRO‑DPMNE party, announced substantial budget increases for culture, tourism and education through 2026.

The cultural budget will rise from 768 million denars in 2023 to 1.071 billion denars in 2026 – an increase of about 40 %. Funding for national cultural institutions will grow 25 % to 493.5 million denars, and capital‑investment allocations will more than double, from 230 million to 485 million denars. Major projects include renovations of theatres in Strumica and Bitola, reconstruction of the “Partizan” cinema in Bitola, new spaces for the Jazz Orchestra and upgrades to the Macedonian Folk Theatre.

Tourism spending will jump from 58 million denars in 2023 to 186 million denars in 2026, a rise of over 200 %.

In education, the overall budget is set to reach a record 40 billion denars by 2026. Higher‑education financing will climb from 3 billion denars in 2022 to 8 billion denars in 2026, nearly tripling. Science funding will increase from 380 million to 773 million denars, and additional allocations of 900 million denars for school salaries and 1.4 billion denars for university professor wages were approved. The plan also introduces a new financing model for 28 national institutions, reforms language legislation, modernises student housing, and closes 18 private research institutes that operated outside the law.