Full Coverage: Macedonia (FYROM)

27.01.2006 The Media Development Center published part of the results of the research “Technical Conditions and Potentials of the Broadcasting Activity in Macedonia”. The research was conducted by the research agency SMMRI (Strategic Marketing and Media Research Institute) and was financed by FOSIM together with OSCE.

25.01.2006 The Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia adopted the Law on Free Access to Public Information. The Law elaborates the Constitutional principle that guarantees the free access to information and freedom to receive and transmit information, as well as the principle of public operations of holders of information.

25.01.2006 Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski and the Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski sent telegrams with condolences to their counterparts in Montenegro. In the telegrams, they expressed their condolences to the families of the casualties and the public of Montenegro.

24.01.2006 Walter Schwimer, former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, who in March 2004 recommended to the CoE to use “Slavic” instead of “Macedonian”, arrived to Skopje yesterday, but not to apologize, but as an advisor to the Prime Minister.

23.01.2006 Lack of consultation with Roma in Macedonia is limiting government initiatives to help them get jobs and promote their inclusion, according to a new report.

21.01.2006 Several civic associations reacted yesterday that the street-blocks set by “Glas na svetlina” in protest of the sale of ESM impede on the vital functions of the capital of Macedonia. “Glas na svetlina”, on the other hand, says that the blocks will stop when the Government gives up on its idea to sell ESM and not a moment sooner.

19.01.2006 Earlier this week, the Skopje Public Transportation Company (JSP) released for daily use the first 30 buses that use mixture of diesel and natural gas as fuel, to mark the companyÂ’s 58th Anniversary.

19.01.2006 Transparency Macedonia, one of the initiators of the Law on Free Access to Information that actually prepared the first draft, is satisfied that the Law finally entered the parliamentary procedure.

18.01.2006 The ProMedia civic association presented three new publications on free access to information yesterday, on the occation of the start of the Parlieamentary procedure on the Draft Law on Free Access to Information.

16.01.2006 The “Glas za svetlina” (Voice for Light) civic association started the blockades of several streets in Skopje, to protest the sale of Electric Power Company of Macedonian (ESM). The association will stop the protests only if the authorities cancel the sale of ESM, announced Marina Hristovska, the spokesperson of the Association, at the impromptu press conference held in front of the Government building.

13.01.2006 Nongovernmental organisations ARTICLE 19, Foundation Open Society Institute – Macedonia, PRO MEDIA and Transparency Macedonia sent an open letter to the highest offices of the Republic of Macedonia stating their concerns regarding the weaknesses in the latest Draft Law on Free Access to Information, as well as lacking of real progress towards its adoption.

12.01.2006 The representatives of the non-governmental sector strongly criticize the draft-Law on Access to Information, claiming that it lacks even the minimum of the internationally accepted standards. The main remark refers to the fact that the proposal to establish and independent body to supervise the implementation of the Law was completely deleted from the draft text.

11.01.2006 The “Vinozito” Association of Farmers from Kicevo started offering a montly internet prepaid card (200 and 400 Denars value) to go with every canister with cheese sold by its members.

10.01.2006 The “Zelezara” borough in Skopje is threatened by an environmental catastrophe. Under the cover of the night, the Still Mill of the “Mak Steel” Metalurgy Corporation releases into the air iron dust, hazardous materials and malodorous gasses, charge the citizens of “Zelezara”, who started a petition with complaints, submitted to the Office of the Mayor of Gazi Baba Municipality.

09.01.2006 Macedonia needs a strategy if it wants to escape the bottom rankings in the world in terms of internet use, warn the experts. According to recent surveys, full 70% of the population have never used internet services, while mere 6% go online on daily basis.