VMRO‑DPMNE criticises Venko Filipche as 'visibly agitated', disputes his claims

VMRO‑DPMNE sharply criticized Venko Filipche after his press conference about the platform "Conversations for the Future 12:05", saying the minister spoke from a state of visible agitation and attacked a wide range of policies from investment projects to international partnerships.

In a written reaction, VMRO‑DPMNE accused Filipche of opposing mines and new industries such as data centres, and of expressing what the party called a false concern for farmers, pensioners and minimum‑wage earners. The party also challenged Filipche's public claims about the country's indebtedness with concrete economic figures.

"Filipche again said that Macedonia is enormously indebted. For this we will give him some facts, if he did not hear them at the beginning of the month. Here is a comparison of the first eight full quarters of the governments led by DUI and SDSM and now the government led by VMRO‑DPMNE. In the first eight full quarters after the arrival of SDSM and DUI to power, the average real growth of GDP amounted to around 2.6 percent. In the first eight full quarters of the current government led by VMRO‑DPMNE, the average growth amounts to around 3.55 percent. And the latest official datum further confirms the positive dynamics: in the second quarter of 2026 real GDP growth reached 4.3 percent. What do the numbers say? The trend is higher and more stable growth, as well as continuity of a positive economic trend", the party reacted.

VMRO‑DPMNE added that a serious opposition cannot simply be negative for the sake of being different, and accused SDSM of taking a purely contrarian stance rather than offering substantive critique.

Filipche, speaking at the conference dedicated to the platform, said the initiative was meant to distract the public from what he called real problems in the country, including plans to open new mines, the arrival of data centres, issues affecting farmers and pensioners, and environmental pollution. He said:

"Why don't they speak or divert attention from that so loudly and argumentatively, as the opposition to criticize the government for the bad policies it pursues, why don't they speak about the data centres, about Hristijan Mickoski's and his gang's intention to take water from the farmers, why don't they speak about the five new mines that are being entered for the first time in the spatial plan, a plan prepared by the Ministry of Environment? An antimony will be dug for foreign interests. An antimony that will enter the earth and the water and will pollute both the land and the water, and will endanger the health of the people who live in those regions. Five new mines, those we fought against", he said.

Filipche also characterised the reform proposals from SDSM in harsher terms: "The reform plan in SDSM proposed by 'coupists' and 'schemers' was written in Mickoski's White Palace — it will not pass," he said.

Photo: U.S. State Department photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Brianna Green / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)