Advanced search
image
Travel & living abroad

Europe

Macedonia

 Flag of Macedonia

Republic of Macedonia is the constitutional name, used by the UK since 1999 for bilateral and internal purposes. Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is used in multilateral forums such as the EU or UN.

Last reviewed: 06 August 2009

Country information

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Trade and Investment with the UK

Trade between the UK and Macedonia in 2007 and 2008 accounted for about €94 million. Macedonia often has a trade surplus with the UK, which is mostly due to the so called ‘lohn’ production (e.g. importing textiles and accessories, and exporting ready-made clothes for the same customer).


Major UK companies in Macedonia are Johnson Matthey (which announced the start of its operations in April),  Imperial Tobacco, QBE, Mittel Still, Binani Group etc. In 2007, Crown Agents signed a major contract for consulting services with Macedonian Customs and is now negotiating its extension. UK companies’ interests are represented by the British Business Group, which has frequent contacts with the Macedonian Government and the business community.

MEDIA

Most of the Macedonian media is privately owned. Eight commercial broadcasters have concessions for national coverage: five of them are TV and three are radio stations. There are many TV and radio stations that broadcast locally and some that broadcast via satellite. There are ten daily newspapers and many weekly magazines, a couple of news agencies and many web portals. According to the 2008 International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) report on freedom of media in Europe and Eurasia, Macedonia came tenth out of 21 counties reviewed. Editorial policy and journalists can be influenced by the political and the business elite. Reporting is mostly parochial, focusing largely on domestic news.

TRAVEL SUMMARY

The vast majority of visits to Macedonia are trouble free. However, British nationals living in Macedonia or intending to travel to the northern and western border regions of Macedonia should exercise caution. Please see separate travel advice on the FCO website for more information.

RECENT VISITS

Inward

  • On 25 June 2009, the Macedonian Interior Minister, Gordana Jankuloska, visited the UK. She met Daniel Fearn, Balkans Director.

Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Ivica Bocevski met the Minister for Europe Caroline Flint in London


  • On 14 October 2008, the Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Ivica Bocevski met the Minister for Europe Caroline Flint in London
  • On 28 May 2008, Marija Efremova, Macedonian Ambassador to the UK met Peter Ricketts, Permanent Under Secretary, to discuss various bilateral issues in Macedonia.
  • On 22 January 2008, Lazar Elenovski, Defence Minister of Macedonia, visited the UK. He met Anthony Smith, Director of Europe.
  • From 17 – 18 October 2007, Antonio Milososki, Foreign Minister of Macedonia, visited the UK. He met Jim Murphy, Minister of Europe and had formal lunch with Sir Mark Lyall Grant, Political Director.
  • From 26-29 September 2005, the Prime Minister, Dr Vlado Buckovski and the Foreign Minister, Dr Ilinka Mitreva paid a working visit to the UK and met with Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton.
  • From 7-10 February 2005, the Chief Co-ordinator of the SDSM Parliamentary Group and President of the Communications and Information Technology Commission, Mr Jani Makraduli MP visited the UK and met with representatives from the e-government unit, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Cabinet Office, the All Party Group for Macedonia and the British Association for Central and Eastern Europe.
  • From 16-19 January 2005, President of the Assembly, Mr Ljupco Jordanovski visited the UK by invitation of the Speaker to the UK Parliament, the Rt. Hon Michael Martin MP. Mr Jordanovski also visited the Welsh Assembly and met with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Select Committee and the All Party Group for Macedonia.
  • On 24 March 2004, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ilinka Mitreva visited the UK for talks with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
  • From 27-30 January, Deputy Prime Minister Musa Xhaferri visited London where he met minister for Europe, Dr Denis MacShane, and Belfast where he met Lord Alderdice.
  • On 12 June 2003, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ilinka Mitreva visited London for talks with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
  • From 10-13 March 2003, the Defence Minister, Mr Vlado Buckovski visited the UK for talks with Europe Minister Denis MacShane and Defence Minister Geoff Hoon.
  • From 3-7 March 2003, the Deputy Prime Minister for Euro Atlantic Integration, Ms Radmila Sekerinska visited the UK and had talks with Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
  • On 22 May 2002, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Slobodan Casule visited London for talks with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
  • From 12-14 September 2001, Foreign Minister, Dr Ilinka Mitreva paid a working visit to London.
  • On 15 February 2001 Mr Srdjan Kerim, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, visited London for talks with the former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook.
  • In July 2000, President Trajkovski made a successful guest-of-government visit to London, and returned in October that year to give a keynote address at the Wilton Park conference on the information society in the Balkans.

Outward

  • Minister for Europe, Caroline Flint, visited Macedonia on 28 January 2009. She met President Branko Crvenkovski; Deputy Prime Minister for EU Affairs, Ivica Bocevski; Parlimentary Speaker Trajiko Veljanovski; Ministry of Foreign Affairs State Secretary, Abdulkadar Memedi; leader of the opposition ethnic Albanian DPA, Menduh Thaci, and leader of the governing ethnic Albanian DUI, Ali Ahmeti.
  • Minister for Europe, Geoff Hoon, visited Macedonia from 7-8 November 2006 as part of a trip to the Western Balkans. He met Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Milososki, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Gabriela Konevska and Deputy Prime Minister for the Implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement Imer Selmani.
  • Minister for Europe, Douglas Alexander, visited Macedonia on 14 September 2005, as part of a trip to the Western Balkans. He met Prime Minister Buckovski, Deputy Prime Minister Sekerinska, the leading ethnic Albanian DUI MP, Ali Ahmeti and the chair of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Teuta Arifi. Discussions focused on European integration.
  • Minister for Europe Denis MacShane 25-26 October 2004
  • Minister for Europe Denis MacShane 20 April 2004
  • Minister for Europe Denis MacShane and Duke of Gloucester 5 March 2004 to attend funeral of the late President Boris Trajkovski
  • Minister for Europe Denis MacShane 8 April 2003
  • Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, 16 April 2002
  • Denis MacShane, Minister responsible for the Balkans, 19 September 2001.
  • Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, 3 September 2001
  • Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, 30 August 2001
  • Robin Cook, 5 April 2001.

Country information

Pick Another Country :

Share this with: