Skopje, 2 October 2024 (MIA) – Six ministries by the end of the week are expected to send reports of the commissions evaluating proposed projects of the municipalities participating in a call for implementation of capital and infrastructural projects that would be financed by the central budget. The bulk of the projects proposed reconstruction of streets and roads and are also environment-related projects.

The Ministry of Local Self-Government issued the call on September 5 and 358 applications were submitted by 80 municipalities by the end of the deadline. Under the call, by the end of the year, municipalities will have at a disposal six billion denars. This is the first stage of a total of 15 billion denars (EUR 250 million) for capital projects. 

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Minister of Local Self-Government Zlatko Perinski said expectations from the call were met after the municipalities showed huge interest. Evaluation, he added, is in a final stage and six ministries by the end of the week are expected to send reports for projects due to be funded before the government adopts them at a session. 

Perinski said most projects are in connection to the Transport Ministry as they seek funds for street and road reconstructions, followed by the Environment Ministry, since several projects were put forward to improve sewage and water management systems. 

“The scope is quite wide with projects worth several hundreds of thousands of denars, but there are also proposed projects over 1.5 billion denars,” said Perinski at the news conference held to mark the government’s 100 days in office. 

The Ministry of Local Self-Government, he pledged, will continue its commitment to improving the living standards and the development of all the regions in the country, which is also the main goal of the call for projects of the municipalities, due to be funded by the national budget. 

MIA file photo and printscreen