I would give everything to resolve every issue and hardship of the people. And I am certain we can do more, but I am also certain that we are succeeding and giving the very last atom of our strength to make much more happen, to bring order to disorder, to introduce reforms into the chaos we inherited, ant to build a solid home upon the foundations that we have rebuilt. And in this struggle of ours, the results are visible, Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski noted in his address at a solemn academy in Kumanovo on occasion of October 11 – National Uprising Day.
It is ‘hellishly difficult,’ he said, to create success within an inherited ruined system and amid a global epic crisis, and added that this success is confirmed by the numbers: “in the second quarter of 2026, GDP growth of 4.3 percent and a nominal growth of more than 8 percent were achieved, which is the highest in the region”.
Mickoski says this is an indicator that the economy is moving forward, creating new value, and opening space for a higher standard of living.
“Exports in the first eight months of the year reached EUR 5.74 billion, with a growth of 8.7 percent. This means a greater placement of Macedonian products on foreign markets, increased economic activity, and new opportunities for domestic companies. The average net wage in July reached MKD 48.499, with an annual nominal growth of 7.1 percent. The goal of this Government is to approach an average wage of EUR 1.000, or slightly over MKD 60.000, by the end of our term,” PM Mickoski said.
Regarding the standard of living and the cost of living, the Prime Minister pointed out that over the past three months, after “we consolidated macroeconomically under conditions of a storm and a severe global crisis,” the cost of living has been rising, but much slower than neighboring countries and the EU, “disproving the past thesis that inflation is imported”.
“In the third quarter – July, August, and September – the cost of living rose from 2.3 to 2.7 percent, or slightly above 2.5 percent, in conditions where the EU average is more than 3.8 percent, which is 25 percent lower than the growth in the EU. If inflation here is 2.6–2.7 percent in September, in our southern neighbor it is more than 5.5, and in our eastern neighbor it is 5.6 percent, while inflation among other neighbors is expected to exceed 4 percent,” Mickoski added.
“However, I will not say that these results are enough. There are families who struggle to cover their monthly expenses, young people looking for better opportunities, and companies that need greater support. For us, economic success will not be just a number in a statistical report. True success will be when economic growth is felt in every home. Because a state is built through work, investments, production, new jobs, and results. Our ambition is to progress so that every subsequent generation lives better than the preceding one,” the PM noted.