Students to pay three times lower participation fee

Macedonian government has decreased the participation fee for studying at state universities. In the future, the highest co-financing fee for students will be EUR 400 instead of current EUR 1,200. The decision was made after the Parliament of Students at the University of St. Cyril and Methodius demanded a decrease in student taxes. From now on, the participation fee will amount to EUR 200 for students within the state quota, whereas students outside the quota will pay up to EUR 400. The fee for dispersed studies will be some EUR 100.

Macedonia plants 7.5 million trees

Under motto "Growing Together", a total of 7,5 million trees are planted at 100 locations on Tuesday, in the framework of fifth campaign "Tree Day - Plant Your Future", which also has a regional character. President Gjorge Ivanov, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Cabinet Ministers, MPs, Macedonian Army members, pupils, students took part in the campaign.
Vice Premier and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski, who planted seedlings in area Tri Krusi near Skopje, said the tree planting campaign has become a tradition by which Macedonia will be recognized in the region and Europe. "Nature and healthy environment contribute to the people's standard, enabling better life for all citizens", added Stavreski. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who also planted a tree in area Tri Krusi, said that as of this year, although symbolically, the campaign becomes a regional one, with seedlings also planted in Bulgaria and Albania, whereas mayors of bordering areas came to Macedonia to plant trees.
"The Tree Day campaign was launched following the 2007 wildfires in Macedonia. The afforesting represents serious potential for the future, the health of generations to come, along with creating a culture of environment enhancement among youth", stressed PM Gruevski.
The Government allocated Denar 50 million (EUR 815,000) for today's campaign. President Gjorge Ivanov planted seedlings in Veles, saying such a campaign united people regardless of their religious, ethnic and social affiliation. Approximately 20 million seedlings were planted in the previous four campaigns in the course of 2008 and 2009.

International 'MK' Code mandatory for Everyone

Imported products sold in retail network in Macedonia have to have the international code MK. The purpose of the declaration is to inform end customers about products they are buying.
Even though this obligation was enforced already in 2006, it has not been implemented until recently, after the adoption of the Act on Customer Protection, which demands that products upon entering Macedonia have adequate declarations written in the Macedonian language.
According to the Ministry of Economy, implementation of this regulation will be controlled by market inspectors.

Quake jolts Debar

An earthquake with a magnitude of 3 degrees on the Richter scale jolted the western part of Macedonia on Friday morning. According to Seismology Observatory at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the quake's epicenter was 110 kilometers off Skopje, near Debar. Local residents in Debar and Struga said they felt the tremor.

Macedonia tourism

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138th Anniversary of Goce Delcev's birth observed

The 138th anniversary from the birth Macedonian revolutionary Goce Delcev was marked Thursday with a service held by Macedonian Orthodox Church clergymen at Delcev's grave in church "St.Spas".
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, accompanied by Minister of Interior Gordana Jankuloska and Economy Minister Fatmir Besimi, laid flowers at Delcev's tomb, along with delegations from the President's Cabinet, Parliament, Defense Ministry, political parties, municipalities, institutions and associations.
Professor Natasa Kotlar delivered an oration on the ideologist of Macedonian revolutionary struggle by the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.
"Delcev is a revolutionary of the Balkans, organizer, man of ideas, agitator, voivode. He is a representative of the Macedonian national intelligence and avant-garde, whose main task was a moral and political revolution in the concrete time of history", said Kotlar. Flowers will also be laid at Delcev's monument in the City Park, whereas poetry reading dedicated to Delcev will be held in publishing house "Feniks", in the framework of the Festival of Tea and Reading.
The anniversary observance is organized by international event "Goce Days", funded by the culture and defense ministries.
Goce Delcev, a visionary who saw the world as a field for cultural competition among nations a century ago, was born in Kukus in 1872. He was educated at the Thessaloniki high school and the Sofia Military Academy. Delcev worked as teacher in Stip, and as member of the secret Macedonian revolutionary organization was active in the establishment of its network. He was killed by the Turkish army in village Banica on May 4, 1903.

Dutch Ambassador: Macedonia in NATO this year

Dutch ambassador Simone Filipini said that Macedonia would not have to wait long to enter NATO and that this would probably happen already this year. "Everybody in NATO hopes that Macedonia will become a full member already this year," said the ambassador at the lecture Contribution of the Republic of Macedonia to Global Safety and Stability, which was held at Military Academy in Skopje.
Filipini added that NATO was not only a military, but also a civil and political organisation and that the public must be made aware of this fact. She expressed hope that Macedonia would soon solve the name dispute with Greece and that bilateral relations between the two countries would become more stable.

First 500 Pensioners to get Free Spa Treatment

The first group of about 500 pensioners out of the projected 10,000 in 2010 will leave for spa treatment in four centers throughout Macedonia on February 6, said Minister of Labor and Social Policy Xhelal Bajrami after Monday's signing of agreements with spa managers.
The agreements encompass free use of spa services in Debar, Katlanovo, Negorski and Banja Bansko. Pensioners will have three meals a day and regular medical care during the seven-day spa treatment. According to Minister Bajrami, the project will be implemented throughout 2010, thus reaching the number of 10,000 pensioners, with the total cost at approximately Denar 90 million (EUR 1,5 million).
Spa managers expressed their satisfaction from the Government's move, claiming it would help them develop the sector, resulting in better conditions for spa treatment.
The criteria for use of the spa treatment include pension amount, length of pension use, as well as need for assistance from third persons.

Macedonian Industrial Output up 20%

Macedonia’s industrial output increased 20% in December 2009 compared with the same month last year, State Statistical Office said on Wednesday.
The rise in industrial output was recorded in the sectors: recycling, production of metal goods, production of basic metals etc. A more serious drop was recorded in the sectors: furniture production, vehicle production, publishing, printing and reproduction.
Due to the increase of the industrial output in December, the cumulative drop of the industrial output index has decreased to 7.7 for 2009.
A year ago, the industrial output went down. The first increase of 4.3% was registered in November of 2009. The drop of the industrial output was the key factor for GDP drop and therefore helped Macedonia to come out of recession.

Macedonian fruit, vegetable processing companies in Czech Republic

Dozen Macedonian companies for fruit and vegetable processing pay January 26-28 a visit to the Czech Republic, aiming to find business partners for export of their products, MIA reports from Prague.
The visit, initiated by the Macedonian Association of Fruit and Vegetable Manufacturers (MAP), is arranged by the Macedonian Embassy to Prague.
Presentation and tasting of Macedonian products will be held in Prague, in the attendance of Czech food companies, as well as meetings with representatives of foreign and domestic supermarkets at the Czech market.
Moreover, representatives of Macedonian companies will pay a visit to the Teplice glass factory, where they would review possibilities for joint investment projects in the field of canning and packaging of Macedonian products.