North Macedonia illegal logging and corruption crackdown

Authorities in North Macedonia have launched significant enforcement actions against illegal logging and corruption within the forestry sector.

Initial investigations led to the arrest of officials from the state enterprise ‘National Forests’, including the director of the ‘Bor’ subsidiary and an employee from the ‘Babuna’ subsidiary. Legal actions and criminal complaints were also filed against a former director in Sveti Nikole and a legal entity in Buzalkovo, with estimated damages exceeding 50,000 euros. Seizures included trucks linked to ‘tender manipulators and wood thieves’ and approximately 400 cubic meters of firewood.

Following these developments, forest police intensified nationwide operations. Between September and early October, authorities seized over 500 cubic meters of illegally cut timber and filed 140 reports. The crackdown involved the confiscation of 13 trucks, 17 passenger vehicles, nine tractors, and various logging tools. Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, Borche Serafimovski, stated that these actions would continue to protect forest resources as a matter of public interest.