Skopje, 25 May 2023 (MIA) — Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski expects Parliament to adopt the proposed changes to the package of laws related to the construction of Corridors 8 and 10d because, he said, aligning these laws would help build the new highways faster and cheaper.

He said drivers deserved modern and safe highways, which would also contribute to regional development.

"Corridor 8 connects Tetovo with the Albanian border, and Corridor 10d connects Prilep and Bitola, where citizens were promised a highway that was never built. But now, in the next five years, it will be built," Kovachevski said in response to a reporter's question at the commissioning of the restored highway between Kumanovo and Stracin.

He reiterated that the agreement with the US–Turkish consortium Bechtel and Enka had been submitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption as well as to the State Roads Public Enterprise.

Also, a presentation of the Bechtel and Enka agreement was offered to lawmakers with a security certificate, he said, although Parliament has yet to organize it.

After completing their debate on four of the five bills, Members of Parliament remain to vote on the proposed changes to the Labor Relations Law, the Law on Expropriation, the Law on Construction, and the Law on Spatial and Urban Planning.

Next on the parliamentary agenda is a debate on the draft amendments to the Law on Determining Public Interest and nominating a strategic partner for the Corridor 8 infrastructure construction project (on highway sections Tetovo – Gostivar – Bukojchani and Trebenishta – Struga – Kjafasan) and Corridor 10d (on highway section Prilep – Bitola) also under a fast-track procedure. mr/