The Macedonian Government announces EUR 10 billion in capital infrastructure projects and investments in the next 10 years, in new motorways, expressways, railways and the renovation of existing health and energy facilities.
“During the second half of 2026, we expect six motorway sections to be built simultaneously in the country,” Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski told a press briefing Monday.
On the Kichevo-Ohrid motorway (57 kilometers), which has been under construction for 12 years and of which 34 kilometers have been put into operation, the section from Izvor to Vrbjani is expected to be put into operation by September or October of this year at the latest, and the section from Vrbjani to Botun is also expected to be put into operation in accordance with the planned dynamics of construction works.
As for expressways, the design of the Kochani-Vinica-Delchevo section has begun as part of a broader strategy for the modernization of the road infrastructure in the eastern part of the country. The project is worth approximately EUR 120 million.
In the railway infrastructure, the key projects are the modernization and construction of the Corridor 10 railway line, for which the Prime Minister announces that the field work will be completed by the end of the year at the latest, and on Corridor VIII, the construction of the railway line to Bulgaria, the Kumanovo-Kriva Palanka sections, the construction of which is underway, as well as Kriva Palanka- the border with Bulgaria, with the cross-border railway tunnel, there is still no work on the field. Also, a modernization of the Skopje-Kichevo railway line on Corridor VIII is planned.
Aside from these activities, the Government indicates that they are in negotiations with about 15 companies for investments. A German multinational company has already formed a legal entity in the country and reserved plots for the construction of two factories. An American company, which is on the Fortune 500 list, has reserved four industrial plots, has also established a local company and has started employment activities. A Turkish company, which is already operating in the Tetovo Technological and Industrial Development Zone, is planning a new expansion by building an additional production facility.
In healthcare, among the most important projects are the Clinical Hospital in Shtip, the new medical faculty with a student dormitory, as well as the Clinical Hospital in Tetovo and the Health Center in Kichevo. The total value of these projects is almost EUR 200 million.
“When all the projects are added together – highways, railway infrastructure, energy capacities, healthcare facilities, industrial investments, treatment plants, expressways and other capital projects – the total value of planned and ongoing investments reaches almost EUR 10 billion, which should be completed in the next 10 years, or a billion per year,” Mickoski pointed out, estimating that GDP growth of over 5 percent will be achieved.
All this, the PM stressed, represents a serious development potential for the country in the coming years.
“If the economic situation in the European Union, our largest trading partner, shows improvement and the European economy grows at a rate of 1.5 to 2 percent per year, then Macedonia has real opportunities to achieve economic growth above 5 percent. In conditions when growth among our main trading partners is below 1 percent, and in some cases amounts to 0.6 or 0.8 percent, our economy is recording growth of almost 3.5 percent, and in the first quarter of this year growth amounted to 3.3 percent,” added Mickoski.
