Newly-elected leader assumes duty as PM in North Macedonia
Freshly installed Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, assumes duties following parliamentary approval. In his maiden speech, Mickoski asserted his dedication towards "European unionization." Highlighting the importance of collaboration, the new administrative head underlined, "We'll keep working alongside our EU counterparts," referring to his conservative VMRO-DPMNE party's May parliamentary victory over the incumbent Social Democrats.
Mickoski recognized the official name of North Macedonia during his swearing-in ceremony. Previously known as Macedonia, the Balkan nation officially changed its name in 2019 after years of conflict with Greece. This rebranding was a necessary step for Greece to drop its resistance to North Macedonia's NATO and EU membership. North Macedonia joined NATO in 2020, with EU membership still to be confirmed.
In contrast, Mickoski and the VMRO-DPMNE party brass had been stubbornly resisting the new country name. The recently sworn-in President, Gordana Silijanovska-Davkova, had used "Macedonia" instead of North Macedonia during her May inauguration, infuriating Athens.
Apart from Greece, Bulgaria could pose a hurdle for North Macedonia's EU entry. Bulgaria demands a constitutional amendment acknowledging the Bulgarian minority in the country from Skopje. Mickoski, in his inaugural speech, pledged not to cave in to this demand, stating defiantly, "As long as I'm Prime Minister, there will be no constitutional amendments."
