Skopje, 24 June 2024 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Monday the state budget would be rebalanced during the second half of July if everything goes as planned.

“If everything goes as planned, during the second half of July we will have a rebalance in Parliament and in the first half of August we will publish a call for municipalities to apply with projects. Based on my conversations with the Finance Minister, there is a high likelihood that Mden 6 billion will be distributed to the municipalities for prepared projects. We have a meeting tomorrow, and we will work on this issue,” Mickoski told TV 24 in an interview.

The PM stated that over 150 projects could be realized with the sum of Mden 6 billion.

“These are projects important for the citizens and are included in the programs of the mayors, and these programs won at the [local] elections in 2021, and we believe they should continue. We are talking about boulevards, water supply and sanitation systems, schools...,” Mickoski said.

In the interview, Mickoski also spoke about the wind park investment which will be officially announced on Tuesday and noted that the country will achieve energy balance, i.e. produce as much electricity as it consumes.

“Tomorrow we are promoting a significant project in the field of energy, around EUR 400-450 million. I am using this occasion to share important information, with this production of electricity from Macedonian wind, we will achieve energy balance, i.e., we will be producing as much as we consume. We are talking about an investment of EUR 400-450 million and an additional EUR 100 million in GDP,” Mickoski told TV 24.

The PM said the structure of the investment fund includes the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the International Finance Corporation, as well as other structural funds from Germany and the United States.

“The investment fund includes the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the International Finance Corporation, German structural funds, US structural funds, something that hasn’t been seen before in this part of Europe, we will have this type of investment in Macedonia. I would like to continue this partnership in the future, and why not even secure funds so that we can construct Chebren by ourselves,” Mickoski said.

The project for the development of a wind park in the country is an investment by Alcazar Energy worth over US $500 million. The wind park is expected to be constructed between the three municipalities of Karbicni, Shtip and Radovish. 

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