Skopje, 8 July 2025 (MIA) - We live in a world that is becoming increasingly dynamic, sometimes unpredictable, filled with global challenges but also great opportunities. In such a world, every country must establish its own development model. The strongest will be those that build strong local communities, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Tuesday, addressing the international conference on regional development held in Gevgelija.

“The future does not begin globally or centrally; it begins locally, with a constructed street in a village, a new water supply network, a renovated school in a rural municipality, and a local economy gaining momentum. These are the foundations of a stable and successful state,” Mickoski noted.

“Therefore, as a Government, from day one we set a clear goal: to return the state to the service of its citizens, but also to the service of local development. Because development must not depend on geography, political affiliation, or media exposure, but on the real needs of the people,” Mickoski said.

He added that for this reason, they have issued a public call for applications for the investment line provided by the Government for municipal capital projects amounting to €250 million.

“Today, I can announce that within this call, a total of 829 local projects have been identified across the country. The total value of these projects amounts to nearly Mden 14 billion. This represents the largest direct support so far from the national budget for local development. Of these projects, 590 fall under transport and infrastructure, including new streets, local roads, bridges, squares, and public spaces. Additionally, 143 projects focus on the environment, sewage networks, water supply systems, treatment plants, green areas, and energy efficiency measures,” he noted.

In this regard, he underscored that they have strengthened the role of the Council for Equitable Regional Development, which today plays a key coordinating role and enables better and fairer distribution of budget funds, based on real field analyses, needs and local strategies.

“We are creating a mechanism for coordinated and strategic investment across all parts of the country, equally, without political differences, focusing on the citizen and the future. In this shared mission, we are not alone. Allow me to express special gratitude to all our international partners, the European Union, the United Nations, the World Bank, Swiss and German development cooperation, USAID, and many others. Your support is not only financial. It is a matter of values. It lies in knowledge, experience, and vision. Thanks to you, many municipalities today have strategies where, ten years ago, they only had problems,” Mickoski said.

According to him, regional development is not an additional obligation but a prerequisite for stability, equality, and a truly European Macedonia.

“There is no Europe at home if the entire economy does not revolve around all municipalities and all settlements. Unfortunately, today most of what we see revolves around one city, while the rest of the country lives in hardship. Therefore, we must close the development gap between regions. We must build a country where everyone has an equal chance, regardless of where they were born or live. That is why we say: We are laying the foundations for change, for the time that is coming for you,” Mickoski added.

“The state is not built from the center outwards. The state is built from the foundations up. And those foundations are in every municipality, every local community, every home. With that vision, with that determination, and with that spirit of partnership, we will continue forward. For strong local self-government. For a just state. For a modern Macedonia,” Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said in his address.

Фото: МИА