Crisis Chronology | North Macedonia

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NORTH MACEDONIA

07/06/2022

Violent protests in North Macedonia after government agrees to concessions about Bulgarian demands on ethnic rights. Bulgaria has blocked North Macedonia’s entry into the EU. The EU proposed a negotiating framework for North Macedonia and Bulgaria that included changes in the constitution that would recognize the rights of Bulgarians in North Macedonia and also allow Bulgarian to dispute the distinctiveness of the Macedonian language and classify it as a Bulgarian dialect. (This would not affect the wider world’s classifications.) Bulgaria accepted the framework and lifted the veto on North Macedonian entry to the EU. However, the opposition in North Macedonia, fomented the protests, falsely claiming that it is an attempt by the EU to deny Macedonian identity.

06/28/2022

Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia frustrated at EU failure to allow them to proceed with their applications after many years of waiting.

10/31/2021

Prime minister resigns

After substantial losses in local elections, Zaev resigns as prime minister and president of the Social Democratic Union. Hristijan Mickoski, the leader of VMRO-DPMNE, calls for early parliamentary elections. Zaev supports a continued SDU government with a new prime minister.

12/03/2020

North Macedonia and UK sign an agreement that will maintain EU trade standards between them even after the UK leaves the EU.

11/17/2020

Bulgaria blocks EU accession talks with North Macedonia, demanding guarantees that North Macedonia won’t claim the existence of its national minority within Bulgaria’s borders and that it has no territorial claims.

07/16/2020

The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia is projected to win a plurality of votes in North Macedonia's latest election. The VMRO-DPMNE would come a close second.

03/27/2020

North Macedonia becomes a member of NATO.

03/24/2020

North Macedonia is given authorization to begin talks about joining the EU.

02/11/2020

Parliament ratifies NATO membership.

01/03/2020

Zaev resigns

Zaev steps down. Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski is nominated to be caretaker prime minister until elections in 4/20.

10/18/2019

New elections called

North Macedonia passed over for admittance to EU. France and Netherlands and Denmark say that the accession process must be reformed before any new members are admitted. PM Zoran Zaev calls new elections to let the citizens decide whether to continue pursuit of EU membership or not.

07/15/2019

Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva resigns after regular prosecutors seize her phone in connection with an extortion scheme

05/05/2019

Pendarovski wins presidency

Pendarovksi wins run-off with slightly less than 52% of the vote to 45% for Siljanovska-Davkova. Backed by the Social Democrats, his election is a confirmation of the name change and of closer ties to the EU. Turnout was under 50%, though that does not invalidate the election.

04/22/2019

Pendarovski and Siljanovska in a virtual tie with about 40.6% of the vote. Turnout is very low, about 41%, barely above the threshold necessary to validate the runoff, which will be held 5/5.

04/21/2019

Presidential election, the first since the name change. Three candidates are running for this ceremonial role, all of them pro-EU and pro-NATO: Stevo Pendarovski, former national security advisor, is supported by the ruling social democrats and the ethnic Albanian National Union; Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, the first female candidate and the only candidate opposed to the agreement with Greece, supported by the opposition VMRO-DPMNE; and Blerim Reka, supported by smaller Albanian parties.

02/06/2019

NATO members formally sign agreement to allow the Republic of North Macedonia (as it is now called) to join.

01/25/2019

New name is approved

Greek parliament approves name change for Macedonia.

01/25/2019

Greek parliament approves name change for Macedonia.

01/12/2019

Parliament approves name change. The opposition boycotts the vote in parliament. The Greek parliament must now vote on the change.

01/09/2019

Government has achieved two of three steps in renaming the country, but must address Albanian representatives’ demand about the phrase “Macedonian citizenship” in the constitution.

11/27/2018

VMRO DPMNE mounts protests against government with slogans: “the country has sunk only deeper and deeper and the citizens are engulfed in darkness and poverty.”

11/16/2018

Hungary accepts refugee claim by former Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski, who is being investigated for corruption in Macedonia.

10/01/2018

Low turnout in nonbinding Macedonia referendum on name change may invalidate outcome, though vote is overwhelmingly in favor of the change. Turnout, currently at 35%, must reach 50% or the vote is discarded. PM Zaev asserts that he will go ahead with the name change in order to join the EU.

07/30/2018

Legislature schedules vote on the name “Republic of Northern Macedonia” for 9/30, although that phrase is not actually used in the referendum question, which asks "Are you for EU and NATO membership by accepting the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?" The VMRO-DPMNE legislators boycotted the vote. The agreement also requires that Macedonia remove all references to the “Macedonian people,” and to past efforts to unite Macedonians. The Greek parliament must ratify the agreement by the end of the year and lift its veto on Macedonian entry into the EU.

07/19/2018

Macedonian political leaders hold discussions to break impasse on referendum on the new name for the country. The opposition VMRO DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickovski is demanding changes in campaign finance laws and a guarantee of a coalition government before the next elections.

07/18/2018

EU and Macedonia agree to deploy UN border guards in the country if necessary to control migration.

07/16/2018

Zaev says that Greek businessmen sympathetic to Russia are paying Macedonians to commit acts of violence before the name referendum.

06/26/2018

EU agrees to start membership talks with Macedonia pending progress toward reforms.

06/17/2018

Greece and Macedonia sign agreement changing the latter’s name from the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia to Northern Macedonia.

06/13/2018

Macedonian Pres. Ivanov says he will not sign agreement on new name for Macedonia. In Greece, the Independent Greeks party, part of the ruling coalition, may oppose the agreement, leaving PM Tsipras without a majority. The agreement will be voted on in the parliaments of both countries.

06/12/2018

Greece and Macedonia agree on that the former Yugoslav republic will be called the “Republic of North Macedonia.” North Macedonia amend its constitution and Greece will stop preventing the country’s entry into the EU. However, North Macedonians will vote on the change in a referendum to be scheduled.

06/02/2018

Supporters of conservative VMRO-DPMNE protest Zaev government policies. The government has also said that it is nearing an agreement about naming the country with Greece, though it has not mentioned a name.

06/01/2018

Zaev pledges to hold a referendum on any name change to Macedonia.

01/18/2018

Bulgarian parliament approves friendship treaty with Macedonia.

01/15/2018

Macedonian parliament approves friendship treaty with Bulgaria, though VMRO DPMNE abstains.