CIVIL has a significant role in building democratic capacities in our country. “This year marked the pandemic that created a major health and economic problem, not only in our country but all over the world,” said Dr. Arben Travari, Mayor of Gostivar, at the CIVIL Conference “Perspectives 2021”.

We are now at the end of the pandemic, and I hope that in the first months of 2021 the vaccination will start in our country as well. I expect that from June we will be able to walk outside without masks. The pandemic brought economic consequences in the whole country, as well as in our municipality. We owe about 3 million now, and previously we owed about 1 million.

In the first months we should appeal to less false news and misinformation against the vaccine. We must give preference to those who work directly with the patients of Covid. Half of the population has already gone through a pandemic in a natural way, but the rest should receive the vaccine. The leaders of the state should be the first to receive the vaccine in order to be an example for the citizens that it is not harmful to receive that vaccine against Covid-19.

He says that the first goal in 2019 was to become part of NATO and that has already been achieved, but unfortunately, not through our fault, we did not start negotiations with the EU, but after the elections in Bulgaria we will find a way to find a solution to negotiations start sometime in the summer.

“Despite the veto, many citizens still want and do not lose hope that we will start negotiations with the EU, ie to soon become citizens of Europe.

I expect the local elections to be democratic, and there will be no abuses of the electoral process. I do not know if there will be parliamentary elections, but if there are, I expect them to be fair and democratic,” Taravari said.