Skopje, 27 November 2025 (MIA) — Responding to lawmakers' questions on the country's progress in adopting EU-aligned laws, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski during a session of Parliament earlier Thursday listed several bills in the works, saying some of them would be voted on this year and others by March at the latest.

Asked by VMRO-DPMNE MP Sergej Popov whether the state was meeting its obligations under the European agenda, PM Mickoski said, "We will be able to catch up."

He said the proposed Law on Audiovisual Services should pass in Parliament this year and then amended next year to include the EU's "Roam at Home" policy that would allow citizens to use their mobile phones when traveling in the EU without any roaming charges.

Amendments should also be made to the Electoral Code, Mickoski said. This depended on political consensus, he said, adding that since it was "a reform law, this consensus can be reached and the law adopted by the end of the year, including the OSCE and ODIHR recommendations."

In the energy sector, there is an obligation "which we cannot fulfill," he said. "This is the complete liberalization of the electricity market, primarily related to households." 

"If the government stops subsidizing electricity for households, the price will increase by approximately 30% to 35% and this will cause inflation and have a knock-on effect on many other processes, which is why we as a state will continue to subsidize households' power bills," the prime minister said.

Speaking about bills on the judiciary, Mickoski said the government was against allocating more money from the national budget for judges' and prosecutors' raises.

"If they complain about their monthly paychecks of 3-4,000 euro, then what about the kids at preschools that don't even have toys to play with? The budget is what it is. They stole from it and there is little money left," he said, adding that the government was using "whatever is left" to renovate preschools and schools. 

"We consider this a higher priority than increasing judges' and prosecutors' paychecks," Mickoski said. mr/