Skopje, 10 April 2023 (MIA) – Parliament voted in favor of the need to adopt amendments of eight laws related to the construction of Corridors VIII and X-d on Monday.

During Parliament’s 112th session, the MPs voted for the need to amend the Law on Agricultural Land, the Law of Expropriation, Law on Urban Planning, Law on Minerals, Labor Relations Law, Law on Forests, Law on Construction, Law on Public Interest and Nominating a Strategic Partner for the Construction of Corridor VIII and Corridor X-d.

Sixty-two MPs voted in favor of the need to adopt the amendments, while a portion of the MPs from the smaller parties in the ruling coalition abstained or voted against the amendments.

Before the beginning of the session, the amendments of the Law on Cultural Heritage were withdrawn. The amendments are proposed by DUI and SDSM MPs.

DUI party whip and one of the MPs who proposed the draft-law, Arber Ademi, said that the draft-law will enable an efficient construction of Corridor VIII (motorway section: Tetovo-Gostivar-Bukojchani and the Trebenishta-Struga-Kjafasan) and Corridor X-d (Prilep-Bitola section).

“The principles upon which the law is based are thriftiness and efficiency of the procedure. The basic legislation aims to specify the design, revision, construction, supervision, and opening of the motorway sections. Since this is not a complex law, we propose that the draft-law be adopted in a fast-track procedure,” said Ademi.

VMRO-DPMNE party whip, Nikola Micevski, said that VMRO-DPMNE’s parliamentary group urges the withdrawal of the laws, and calls for a public debate to be held on this issue. He called the MPs from the ruling majority not to vote in favor of the need to adopt the draft-law.

“This agreement will have huge financial implications on the budget. The amendments of the Law on Cultural Heritage, Law on Minerals and the Law on Forests violate the amendment of the Constitution, and grant uncontrolled, exclusive rights to the contractor without thinking of the consequences that it can cause. Additionally, VAT is being scrapped for the contractor and this will affect the financial structure of the project,” said Micevski.

Jovan Mitreski, the SDSM party whip, said the sole purpose of the opposition’s actions in Parliament is to harm the reputation of the country’s largest infrastructure project in the last 70 years.

“But, the decision of the opposition is their decision. We aren’t running away from debate nor do we want to adopt something quickly. We just see the issues that have happened on the ground during previous infrastructure projects,” said Mitreski.

DOM MP Maja Morachanin said there is no question that the infrastructure project is important for the citizens and the country, but asked that the amendments are withdrawn from the agenda.

“These amendments which have been submitted in a fast-track procedure and which really cover various areas of the legislation and the practical functioning of the state, grant too many privileges to the contractors on the project. The least we can do is vote against the agenda and the amendments today, and if there is a need, submit the amendments in a regular procedure,” said Morachanin.

This is the first time that several MPs from the ruling majority abstain or vote against certain laws.

No date has been set for a discussion of the amendments by the relevant parliamentary committees in order to resume the procedure in Parliament.

Photo: MIA Archive