CIVIL Media spoke with the Mayor of the City of Skopje, Petre Shilegov, in relation to the European perspectives of North Macedonia, the municipality’s contribution to the European integration, as well as the expectations from the local elections.

CIVIL: What is your assessment of the political situation and processes after the early parliamentary elections held in July?

Shilegov: The elections were not normal, having in consideration that, unfortunately, even our reality hasn’t been normal for more than half a year. For us as the Social Democratic Union, the messages of the electorate were also important, which I think we pretty much seriously accepted and analysed. I think that the change and way of governing has been visible since the first month with a still unformed central government.

CIVIL: There is about a year left until the local elections. What are your prognosis?

Shilegov: I personally hope that we will succeed to stabilize the health situation at a civilized level, which means at the state level. It is indeed human concern, above all. We have to beat Covid-19 in order to return to normal and to talk about these matters, which when compared to the health situation, are of secondary nature, but necessary for life to continue functioning in such difficult circumstances.

I think that in the most part my colleagues have justified the expectations for which they won the elections in 2017. Some of them perhaps haven’t, but one should understand the position of each of us who have accepted the position of a mayor. I expect for SDSM to secure a victory at the local elections as well. Here in Skopje I guarantee you that we will win.

CIVIL: How is the City of Skopje preparing for EU integration? How much and in what way are European values respected?

Shilegov: When you lead an institution, you try to achieve standards that you think are essential for the citizens, or which at the European level have been consensually accepted as needed for the citizens. From that aspect, I believe that the City of Skopje has been relatively correct in that sense in this short period of time, taking into consideration that we inherited a situation of complete devastation of values in society. I think we managed to raise the standards in areas where we are promoters and implementers. Even if this were my subjective opinion, still, the citizens can see for themselves.

I will give several examples. It’s probably not a European standard for Boulevard “Partizanski Odredi”, the section from Simpo to the Makpetrol gas station, to be reconstructed for 8 and a half months. And this used to happen with the previous city administration. However, it is a European standard to reconstruct in 30 days, from the Makpetrol gas station to the “United Nations” Bridge.

You can see what’s happening at the entrance of Skopje, where we are working on a section that really is difficult and complex because it’s a busy section and is 5.3 km long in one direction and just as much in the other direction. The entrance is already done, which previously never happened in about 20 days.

Including citizens in decision-making, consultations with communities at the micro level of projects that the City is carrying out, where we are directly asking people who live there what they need and how we are implementing it, is something that de facto is taking place.

Demanding responsibility from the people who I as a mayor have appointed and their dismissal for overstepped certain norms was something that couldn’t have been imagined in the Macedonian society, and this also represents implementation of certain values. There is always room for some things to improves. But what I am satisfied with is that in a short period we managed to change the perception on the kind of institution the City of Skopje is. Far from being satisfied and that it’s completely as it should be. On the contrary, we have serious space of subjective weaknesses, not only I as a mayor, but also in the administration, which we can improve but the tendency and trend of improving is something that is already functioning. At the end, citizens will expect that any mayor after the local elections should continue in that direction in order to improve.

Biljana Jordanovska

translation: N. Cvetkovska