The law on "Skopje 2028" withdrawn from the Assembly at my request, says the Prime Minister

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski announced that the draft law for "Skopje – European Capital of Culture 2028" has been withdrawn from the Assembly at his insistence and will be placed in a public debate so that no doubt remains regarding the transparency of the process.

According to him, the legal framework foresees the formation of a Foundation which, starting this year, will lead the preparations to achieve the title, with specific events planned for 2027 and 2028 and a transformation into a public enterprise in 2029.

Foundation first, public enterprise later

In his remarks during today’s visit to the Clinical Hospital in Bitola, Mickoski described the project as initiated ten years ago but until now unprepared for implementation. He emphasized that the government entered the process having clearly defined the priorities and that the law was drafted according to the recommendations and practices of the European Union.

"I understand the public reaction because there is a strong attempt to disinform it. First, this is the Foundation 'Skopje – European Capital of Culture' and this is a project that was started ten years ago. Unfortunately, nothing has been done so far. The government came into a situation to face a challenge, and that is that for the first time a city may have that title taken away — European Capital of Culture," he said.

Mickoski clarified that this is not about choosing a director at this stage, but about a foundation that will work on implementing the project. He noted that there exists a so-called book or "bidbook" that was obtained five or six years ago and contains the priorities that the government and the current mayor inherited.

According to the presented plan, in 2027 there will be 50 days of events, in 2028 events will take place every day, and in 2029 the foundation should evolve into a public enterprise with a director. "That is the essence of the project. Unfortunately, someone is trying consciously to manipulate the public and deliberately misinform the citizens. But I will not allow any doubt to remain in any process. Therefore, at my insistence, the law was withdrawn from Parliament. It will be put up for public debate," Mickoski said.

He admitted that the withdrawal may cause a slight delay in preparations, but he conveyed that by the end of the year the government will try to deliver all necessary activities for Skopje to obtain the status of European Capital of Culture in 2028.

Photo: Vlada