North Macedonia's Skopje‑Blace highway construction begins amid political feud

The Skopje‑Blace highway, a key transport corridor linking North Macedonia with Kosovo, has become a point of contention between the ruling coalition VLEN and the opposition DUI. Both parties claim credit: VLEN stresses that “24 years promised… now becomes reality,” while DUI points to the first two kilometres laid during its tenure as a “strategic guarantee” for the project.

Following a meeting with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development director Fatih Turkmenoglu, officials announced that construction work is set to start in July and should be completed within 24 months. The road is presented as a public‑benefit infrastructure, ending years of delays and land‑speculation accusations, and is expected to boost economic activity and improve connections with Kosovo.