The Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, on today’s session, adopted the amendments to the Program for Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources and stimulating energy efficiency in households for 2019.
The amendments to the Program foresee increase in the assets in the Budget, as it follows: additional 5 million MKD for subsidies for sun collectors, additional 14.7 million MKD in subsidies for PVC or aluminium windows, and additional 10 million MKD in subsidies for pellets stoves. Thus, the total assets of 50 million are now increased and amount to 79 million MKD.
With regard to awarding subsidies for pellets stoves, a total of 30 million MKD is proposed, out of which 15 million MKD will be for applicants with lower incomes (vulnerable consumers) and they will have advantage in the subsidies awarding process. The remaining 15 million MKD will be awarded in the method described in the program and the public announcement.
At this session the Government discussed and adopted the Communiqué on commencing the realization of the project Construction of part of faecal sewage for the Industrial Zone Vizbegovo in the municipality of Butel.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications informed that upon completion of the process of urbanization of the industrial zone of Vizbegovo, the works for the water supply network have started and that they have provided documents and assets for construction of part of the faecal sewage. The deadline for completion of the planned sewage is about 14 months.
The Government of the Republic of North Macedonia on its 153rd session accepted the initiative for establishment of a Working Group for coordination and monitoring of development projects in the Prespa Region. These projects were announced while the Agreement with Republic of Greece was signed and foresee several million EUR from IPA funds and EU funds for cross-border cooperation.
On today’s session a Decision was adopted for approval of funds from the Budget of the Republic of North Macedonia for 2019 in the amount of 5,000,000 MKD for implementation of measures to decrease the aero-pollution and decrease of the high concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in the municipality of Strumica. These funds will be used for connection of the Public Health Institution General Hospital Strumica to the city pipeline. This intervention will decrease the aero-pollution in the city because, at the moment, the hospital uses oil for heating. Furthermore, after the oil is replaced with cheaper and eco-friendly fuel, this will enable additional savings.
Moreover, the Government discussed and adopted the Communiqué for raising the status of the Republic of North Macedonia in the Community of Democracies and assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within seven days to submit the Letter of Intention that will contain the application for awarding a status of member state in the Executive Committee of CoD.
The Republic of North Macedonia has signed the Warsaw Declaration for establishment of this community in 2000 and was encouraged to initiate the procedure for transforming the status of the country into a membership within this international organization. This comes as a direct result of the returning of the democratic course and continuous democratization of the society; thus, North Macedonia will be the first member-state from the Western Balkan region among the existing 29 member-states.
At this session the Government adopted the proposed Platform for participation of a delegation of the Republic of North Macedonia on the 74th regular session of UNGA led by the Prime Minister Zoran Zaev who will address the general debate of the Assembly on 28th September 2019.
Beside the topics stipulated on the agenda, the delegation will focus on bilateral cooperation, progress in realization of the strategic and foreign policy objectives of the Republic of North Macedonia while emphasizing the new approach in resolution of bilateral and regional issues, reforms on national level, as well as the expectation for commencement of EU negotiations, the final process of ratification of the NATO membership. Special emphasis will be placed on the benefit arising from the Agreement with Greece for overcoming the difference on the name issue and priority issues on the UNGA agenda.
Furthermore, on today’s session the Government adopted the Communiqué for accession of the Republic of North Macedonia in the Adriatic-Ionian Region and assigned the Secretariat on European Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask the inline ministries to assign one national coordinator each for the Strategy. These will be in charge for agriculture, forestry and water management, for the project regarding transport and communications, economy, environment and physical planning, as well as coordinators for the projects for regional connectivity.
