Macedonia
The Republic of Macedonia * UN official name is FYR Macedonia*, is rapidly advancing on the path of political and economic reform towards strengthening its democratic society and its open-market economy. The result is political and macroeconomic stability, providing much room for growth.
Membership of the European Union (EU) is the highest strategic interest and priority for the Macedonian Government, an objective shared by an overwhelming majority of Macedonia’s citizens and all political parties. Macedonia was the first country in south-eastern Europe to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU in 2001 in Luxembourg. Recognising the progress that Macedonia has made in meeting the Copenhagen criteria, the European Commission recommended granting Macedonia candidate country status for membership in the EU. On 17 December 2005, the European Council decided to grant the Republic of Macedonia official candidate status for EU membership.
The Republic of Macedonia is an aspiring member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In the closing declaration from the NATO summit in Riga in 2006, Macedonia was included in the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP). The organisation has recognised the increasing contribution of Macedonia to international peacekeeping and security operations, as well as its effort to improve regional co-operation.
Macedonia is at the crossroads of south-eastern Europe, which makes it an ideal transit and distribution centre for products for European markets. The developed road and railway infrastructure combined with the small area of the country enables access to every inhabited place in Macedonia in less than three hours.
The road infrastructure is 9,205 km long, while the railway network is 900 km. Two large pan-European corridors exist – Corridor 8 (east-west) and Corridor 10 (north-south) – and are now being upgraded. This will strengthen the capacity of the Macedonian transport network. There are two international airports, in Skopje and Ohrid, and regular direct connections to several larger European transport centres.
The Republic of Macedonia has a modern digital telecommunications network. With a new interconnection agreement, fixed telephony is liberalised and entry of new operators is expected. At the moment, fixed telephone services are offered by two companies, while mobile telephony is in constant development. The presence of three mobile operators guarantees quality and availability of services.
The country’s excellent Internet access has made a very positive contribution to the business climate. Macedonia pursues international trends in the development of its Internet communications, and enables easy and fast Internet access via numerous Internet providers.
Macedonia prides itself on its educated, highly qualified and ethical workforce. The average gross monthly salary is €370. Educational standards at technical higher educational institutions in Macedonia resemble those of western European countries.
English is widely spoken among Macedonia’s workforce, as well as all the languages of the region: Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian, Albanian and Greek.
In order to support companies and increase their international competitiveness, the Macedonian Government has introduced legal reforms in the functioning of the labour market that enable easier hiring and firing of the labour force.
Nearly 99 per cent of the companies in Macedonia are registered as small enterprises, employing nearly 55 per cent of the employees in the private sector.
Most of the businesses according to the main activity are registered in the wholesale and retail trade sector (48.7 per cent), manufacturing sector (16.4 per cent), and the transportation, storage and communications sector (10.1 per cent).
The largest employer is the manufacturing sector, with 35.6 per cent of the total number of employees in the private sector.
The Macedonian Government puts a high priority on the development of the SME sector, focusing on measures and activities to support the development and to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs, and more generally to improve the business environment.
More informations on market opportunities visit below linked informations:
Setting up a business in Macedonia
Macedonia Employment regulations
Macedonia Business regulations and laws
Macedonia wood and furniture production
Macedonia Processed Fruits & Vegetables
Macedonia Investment Guide Overview
Market overview for investors and exporters
