Ohrid heritage status at risk as mayor and VMRO actions draw UNESCO warning

Mayor Kiril Pecakov and the central VMRO‑DPMNE government have taken steps that put the Lake Ohrid site in North Macedonia on UNESCO’s list of heritage sites threatened with loss. The UNESCO committee issued a draft decision describing a total institutional failure, noting zero progress in removing illegal constructions and ongoing pollution of the lake. Authorities continue to allow the "Gorica 3" hotel complex—over 15,000 sq m—to be built on the protected coastline, despite explicit bans in the site management plan, and have blocked the suspension of 19 disputed detailed urban plans. Recommendations from all UNESCO missions remain unimplemented. Local officials and ministries are urged to halt all construction in critical zones, suspend destructive planning, and pursue accountability for the neglect of the world‑heritage site.