Skopje, 22 August 2024 (MIA) – Skopje Mayor Danela Arsovska is expected Thursday in a meeting with the coordinators of the municipal council groups to present a plan ending the crisis in the capital. The meeting of the coordinators was scheduled by the chair of the Council of the City of Skopje, Trajko Slaveski.

It is expected the Mayor to present a plan about the state of affairs in the Communal Hygiene public enterprise and the waste disposal crisis in the city, as well as the issues facing the Public Transport Enterprise (JSP) involving the lack of buses transporting passengers in Skopje.

In a TV interview on Wednesday, when asked whether Thursday was the deadline for the presentation of proposals to solve the issues gripping the Macedonian capital, Arsovska responded that it is absurd to talk about deadlines, because “nothing can be solved in this country in three days.”

She said she had offered short-term, mid-term and long-term solutions at Monday’s meeting in the government with PM Hristijan Mickoski.  

According to her, the first plan involved the decisions passed by the Council over the procurement of eco-friendly public transportation buses. Arsovska said the City of Skopje has money from its budget to buy buses, but the procurement has to be approved by the City Council.

“We’re not asking for money for the eco-buses. What we’re asking is the municipal councillors to pass a decision greenlighting the procurement. We don’t need money from the government, we want them to pay for the debt,” she said amongst other things.  

Reacting to the interview, VMRO-DPMNE called it disappointing, calling on Arsovska to step down in order to save Skopje.

In response to a reporter's question whether Arsovska's plan was unacceptable, PM Hristijan Mickoski said Wednesday he first needed to see her plan and then he would do anything he could to protect the interest of the people of Skopje.

According to Mickoski, Arsovska did not present any solutions at the Monday meeting in the Government. "She had no plan. I invited her because she had asked for a meeting, but I didn't hear a plan. I gave her some ideas. I expect that, today or tomorrow, she will organize a coordination meeting with the advisory groups and finally present her plan.

MIA file photo