The third Ohrid High-Tech Excellence Camp kicked off with a bang! Our journey began in Skopje and led us to the stunning Hotel Aqualina in Ohrid. Welcoming the 25 participants hailing from the US, Slovenia, Croatia, Cyprus, and our homeland was Nena Manchev, the Leadership and Education Program Manager of Macedonia2025.
As the day unfolded, the participants delved into engaging sessions, delivered by one of our programs partners iSource Ltd, which allowed them to get to know each other and build connections with one another. It set the perfect tone for what was to come.
Adding to the excitement, the participants enjoyed thrilling beach activities, making the day even more memorable. And to culminate this fantastic start, we were treated to an amazing concert at the St. Sofia Church, a part of the Ohrid Summer Festival. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Ohrid Summer Festival for delivering an absolutely amazing performance!
With energy and enthusiasm at an all-time high, we can’t wait for the incredible experiences that await us during the rest of the #OhridHighTechCamp! Stay tuned for more updates!
for their outstanding contributions to the Macedonian community in area of Philanthropy and Social Impact.
Mitre and Sophie Kutanovski have been awarded the Macedonia2025 Recognition for Diaspora Contribution for their outstanding contributions to the advancement of Macedonia and its people, particularly through their philanthropic and socio-economic development work in their hometown of Radozda and region.
Mitre’s leadership and dedication to economic development in Radozda have resulted in significant increases in economic activity, job creation, and improved quality of life for community members. Additionally, as a co-founder and former chairman of Macedonia2025, Mitre helped to establish the organization’s second office and launch various business and professional networking opportunities for the diaspora.
Sophie’s unwavering support of Mitre’s work and their joint commitment to philanthropy has had a profound impact on the lives of many students in Macedonia. Together, they have upheld Dedo Atanas Bliznakoff’s legacy of providing scholarships to socially vulnerable students at the University St. Cyril and Methodius. In 2021 alone, their efforts enabled 135 deserving students to receive the highest scholarship amount, and the Atanas Biznakoff Foundation was recognized as one of the Top 50 donors for all Western Balkan countries and as the Top 50 diaspora donors. Their dedication to philanthropy has helped countless students access the education they deserve and pursue their dreams.
Mitre and Sophie’s selfless dedication to the betterment of their community and the advancement of Macedonia and its people are truly inspiring. Their legacy of supporting economic development and education will undoubtedly continue to have a lasting impact on the country and its people.
The Macedonia2025 organization is proud to recognize them for their exceptional contributions and hopes that their example will inspire others to make a difference in their communities as well.
Macedonia2025 signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with “ARNO” for the competition “GREEN IDEAS 2021”, through its participation in the jury, as well as awards for the winners of the competition.
On April 7, 2021, was held the promotional event for the competition “GREEN IDEAS 2021”, organized by the association for social innovation “ARNO”. Nikica M. addressed the event. Blazevski, Chief Executive Officer of Macedonia 2025, as a representative of the partner organization of the competition.
Vienna Economic Forum organizes several conferences throughout the year in order to promote its aims. The annual Vienna Economic Forum – Vienna Future Dialogue takes place each November in Vienna. The 16th Vienna Economic Forum – Vienna Future Dialogue 2019: “From Planned Economy to Market Economy – 30 years after the Fall of the Iron Curtain” took place on 18 November at Novomatic Forum. The diverse audience featured high-ranking decision makers from the areas of economy and politics from 34 countries in the region, Europe and worldwide.
We proudly announce that as part of the event program, the Chief Executive Officer of Macedonia2025, Prof. Dr. Nikica Mojsoska Blazhevski and the Secretary General of Vienna Economic Forum, Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva had the honour and pleasure to formally establish an official partnership between Macedonia2025 and the Vienna Economic Forum by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), expressing a convergence of the will of the two parties to establish cooperation and good relations, in order to support the economic development for the members of both organisations and the activities of both sides.
Founding Members of Vienna Economic Forum are, next to Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva, some of the most reputable companies and entrepreneurs in Austria. The Committee of Patrons of Vienna Economic Forum consists of the Prime Ministers from all the states from the region plus the Austrian Federal Chancellor. Next to that, the Ambassadors of the Western Balkan countries are taking part in the work of Vienna Economic Forum as Honorary Members of the Ambassadors Committee.
Vienna Economic Forum promotes economic cooperation between the countries and territories from the Adriatic to the Black Sea, namely in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine from its headquarters in Vienna.
The official program of the Vienna Economic Forum can be found here.
Никица Мојсоска Блажевски, Главен извршен директор на Македонија2025 и Претседателот на КОП – Комора на органски производители, Драги Цветковиќ, денеска потпишаа Меморандум за соработка.
Основната цел на воспоставување на соработка помеѓу Комората на органски производители и Македонија 2025 е зацврстување на врските помеѓу македонската бизнис заедница и македонската бизнис дијаспора. Преку активности од заеднички интерес соработката ќе биде насочена кон остварување подобри перформанси на македонските фирми, што во крајна линија ќе придонесе за забрзување на растот на македонската економија и развој на македонското општество.
Macedonia2025 is thrilled to announce the Zafirovski Executive Education Program 2023 Scholarship Recipients who started attending the EDP Kellogg blended program in May and June 2023:
1. Goran Stojanovski, Head of Business at Scalefocus
2. Tatjana Trajkova, Associate Director Innovations, Strategic Projects, M&A at Alkaloid AD Skopje
3. Stevcho Risteski, B2B & ICT Sales Director at A1 Macedonia, A1 Telekom Austria Group
4. Zarko Dimitrioski, Managing Partner & Creative Director at BD GRUPA DOOEL (BDG Agency)
5. Toni Jankovski, Product Development & Innovation at Diners Club Macedonia
These exceptional individuals have been selected for their outstanding leadership potential and commitment to professional development. We’re proud to partner with Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, US to provide a dynamic and immersive educational experience for our Macedonia2025 cohort.
The EDP program combines online learning and intensive in-person sessions, providing the opportunity to engage with leading faculty members and industry experts, while also learning from the diverse perspectives and experiences of their fellow peers. We’re confident that these scholars will make the most of this opportunity to develop their leadership skills and contribute to their organizations’ success.
Congratulations to the Zafirovski Executive Education Program 2023 Scholarship Recipients!
We can’t wait to hear about your experiences and achievements as you continue on your professional development journeys.
Скопје, 30.03.2022 – Дигитална трансформација, зајакнување на претприемачките капацитети, иновации во функција на поголема конкурентност, холистички пристап преку примена на ЕСГ (environment, society, governance) стандардите, се дел од темите кои ќе бидат во фокусот на годинешниот Самит на Македонија 2025. На овој престижен регионален настан кој претставува платформа за споделување знаење, поврзување и поттикнување промени во регионот, ќе присуствуваат повеќе од 40 говорници, врвни експерти во својата област. На Самитот ќе се разговара за регионални и глобални теми меѓу кои се и стратешко лидерство и ChatGPT. Дел од панелите ќе бидат посветени и на значењето на СТЕМ образованието во процесот на градење на просперитетна економија која напредува со иновации, на креативноста и на трендовите за здрав живот и навики.
Самитот ќе се одржи во Скопје на 26 и 27 април годинава и се очекуваат околу 400 учесници, кои освен што ќе ги слушнат излагањата на панелистите, ќе имаат и уникатна можност за вмрежување со исклучителни професионалци и остварување на нови партнерства и соработка со потенцијални инвеститори. Во насока на унапредување на овој сегмент Македонија 2025 има подготвено платформа за просперитетна иднина, која нуди основа за обединување на сите засегнати страни и усогласеност на клучните приоритети за долгорочен развој и за подобра иднина на Македонија и на регионот.
Дел од говорниците на Самитот ќе бидат: Н.Е. Димитар Ковачевски, претседател на Владата на Република С. Македонија, Роберт Доар, претседател на Американскиот институт за претпријатија, Кетеван Бочоришвили, поранешен заменик министер за економија и одржлив развој на Грузија и управен партнер на „Бизнис Грузија“, Кам Бакнер, претставник на државата Илиноис, поранешен кандидат за градоначалник на Чикаго, Тед Саудер, поранешен дел од менаџментот на Google, Никола Јуришиќ, основач и управен партнер во Transfiguration Advisory, Иван Артуковиќ, извршен директор на Франк, Живко Мукаетов, извршен директор и претседател на Управниот одбор во Алкалоид, Вал Јусуфи, извршен директор на Институтот ЛЕОРОН, Бранко Станчев, главен комерцијален директор во Македонски Телеком АД, Гурудут Банавар, научен и технолошки иноватор, претприемач, инвеститор и хуманист, Сурав Синха, партнер и раководител за стратегија во Longevity Vision Fund, Никола Велковски, ко-основач и извршен директор на Howitzer и многу други истакнати личности во повеќе области. Повеќе информации за учество на Самитот се достапни на официјалната веб-страница: https://www.macedonia2025.com/summit/.
Пред официјалниот почеток на Самитот, на 25 април 2023, Македонија 2025 ќе организира и неколку дополнителни активности во соработка со претседателот на Република С. Македонија и Стопанската Комора на Северна Македонија.
Самитот на Македонија 2025 годинава се организира по 12-ти пат, а го организира меѓународната невладина организација Македонија 2025, чија главна мисија е креирање и унапредување на динамична платформа за споделување на знаења од областа на бизнисот, економијата, технологијата, лидерството и иновациите, во насока на поттикнување на економски развој и одржливост.
Many non-standard forms of employment are not easily identified in labour force surveys or labour market registries. Disguised employment relationships and dependent self-employment; temporary agency work or other multiparty employment arrangements; platform work; and on call work may all be difficult to discern, or have characteristics that are difficult to discern, through standard labour force surveys or labour market registries. One way of dealing with this dearth of information is through primary data collection. In this regard, the ILO has commissioned Maceodnia2025 to undertake a field study and to prepare a report on the non-standard forms of employment in Macedonia. The filed study will be implemented through focus groups and semi-structured interviews both with workers engaged in non-standard forms of employment and employers who use such employment contract/arrangements. Moreover, interviews and focus group discussions will be held also with employers’ organizations and with workers’ organizations (trade unions). Some of the research questions include: What is the profile of people in the different contractual forms mentioned above?; Why are workers in this situation? Is it voluntary, because of greater flexibility, for example, or is it because no other options are available?; Why do firms avail themselves of the non-standard forms of employment above? Flexibility, to avoid taxes, nonwage costs?; Are workers happy with the situation?; What policies could lead to a reduction in non-standard forms of employment?; Do employers negotiate with worker organizations the scope of nonstandard forms of employment in the firm?
There are two main written outputs of the project: 1) Qualitative primary study (narrative report) with the main findings of the filed research and 2) Integrative report which will combine the findings from the economic analysis (analysis of the Labour Force Survey on non-standard forms of employment), a legal study and the qualitative primary study. The latter will also include policy recommendation. The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy will be the primary user of the reports and recommendations, which should feed into the new Labour Law that is currently under preparation.
Financial intermediation in the Republic of Macedonia is at a relatively lower level than the average in the European Monetary Union. In this text, we analyze the reasons for this situation based on data on access to certain financial services for citizens as well as access to technology published by the World Bank. The low level of economic development is the main reason for the lower level of financial intermediation. However, the financial institutions encouraged by the development of new technologies can contribute to the further development of financial intermediation.
The banking system, mandatory private pension funds and insurance companies have the highest share in the financial assets/money of the financial system and, almost constantly, contribute the most to its absolute growth. The other segments of the financial system almost constantly record a relatively dynamic growth, but still individually and together, occupy a very small part of the total assets of the financial sector.
According to the latest available data published by the National Bank, the financial assets/broad money of the financial sector in the Republic of Macedonia amount to 111.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). At the same time, the financial assets/broad money of the financial sector in the European Monetary Union, as it can be seen in graph 1, amount to 219% of GDP at the end of 2021.
Graph No.1: Financial assets/Broad money % of GDP, 2021
Source: European Central Bank and National Bank
According to the presented data, in the Republic of Macedonia there is still a large space for the deepening of financial intermediation.
Since 2011, the World Bank has regularly published the Global Findex Data Base report, which is a source of data on global access to financial services. The 2021 edition is based on representative surveys of a sample of 128,000 adults in 123 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The database contains indicators of access and use of formal and informal financial services and digital payments, and also identifies the reasons for the low level of access and use of financial services by women and poor adults.
The main reason for the low level of financial intermediation in Macedonia is certainly the lower standard of living. As an indicator of the level of standard of living, we analyze the data on realized savings.
Graph No. 2: Percentage of citizens who managed to save money, 2021
Source: World Bank
(Macedonia, EMU)
The data in graph 2 show that only a modest 38% of the population in the Republic of Macedonia managed to save some money, in contrast to the European Monetary Union where this percentage is 77%. Money saved is the main basis for the financial intermediation development.
Availability of financial services
The availability of financial services is certainly an important factor for deepening the financial sector. The data in the World Bank database indicate a relatively lower availability of financial intermediation services in the Republic of Macedonia.
Graph No.3: Transaction account (%, over 15 years), 2021
Source: World Bank
(Macedonia, Euro area)
As it can be noted in graph 3, 15% of the population in the Republic of Macedonia does not own a transaction account, that is, it is not part of the financial sector in the country at all, whereas more than 95% of the population of the European Monetary Union owns a transaction account. However, this is a better performance than the figure for the entire world, according to which 26% of the world’s population does not own a transaction account.
The biggest reason for a lack of a transaction account ownership is a bank account ownership of a family member (49%). Other reasons for lack of transaction account ownership include: lack of money, expensive financial services, lack of personal documents, lack of trust in the financial sector, as well as religious reasons.
Graph No.4: Percentage of the population that owns/uses debit card, 2021
Source: World Bank
(owns a debit card, Uses a debit card, Macedonia, Euro area)
Graph 4 shows what part of the population owns a debit card and what part uses it. The data indicate that in 2021 only 53% of the population in the Republic of Macedonia owns a debit card, whereas a modest 37% use it. At the same time, in the European Monetary Union, as much as 88% of the population owns a debit card, whereas 81% actively use it.
A debit or credit card ownership is actually an indirect indicator of the level of the shadow economy in a country. Namely, the higher percentage of the population uses debit and credit cards or other modern electronic payment methods, the lower the gray economy will be. Credit card ownership data show a similar situation.
Credit card ownership data shows a similar situation.
Graph No. 5: Percentage of the population that owns/uses credit card, 2021
Source: World Bank
(Owns a credit card, Uses a credit card, Macedonia, Euro area)
The graph 5 indicates that in Macedonia less than 20% of citizens over 15 years of age use credit cards, whereas in the European Monetary Union more than 40% of citizens use this service. The website of the National Bank has numerous data on the type of credit cards that banks issue. According to the data, almost all bank cards issued in the Republic of Macedonia are digitized, but less than 1% of the cards support payments through smart devices for making contactless payments.
Technology contribution to financial intermediation development
However, in addition to the level of the standard of living and the availability of financial services, the development of financial intermediation is influenced by numerous other factors, especially technological development. First, we analyze the indicators of access to technology that show the conditions and opportunities for the financial sector development.
Graph No. 6: Access to technology, 2021
Source: World Bank
(has access to the Internet, Owns a mobile phone, Macedonia, Euro area)
According to graph 6, 88% of the population in Macedonia has access to the Internet, which is only three percentage points lower than the average in the European Monetary Union. At the same time, the percentage of the population that owns a mobile phone is higher in the Republic of Macedonia. Such data indicate that the technological conditions represented by these two indicators are at a high level and enable the development of financial intermediation similar to that in the European Monetary Union.
For the financial sector development and deepening, it is certainly necessary to use this technology.
Graph No.7: Uses the Internet to check the transaction account, 2021
Source: World Bank
(Macedonia, EMU)
Graph 7 shows that a modest 43% of citizens older than 15 years use the Internet to check their transaction account, in contrast to citizens of the European Union where more than 70% use modern technology to check their money balance. Despite the high percentage of citizens who use the Internet (almost the same as in the European Monetary Union), a small proportion use the Internet to check their transaction account.
Graph No. 8: Made digital payment, 2021
Source: World Bank
(Macedonia, EMU)
In addition to using the Internet to check the financial account balance, citizens also use it for digital payments. The data show that 66% of citizens who use the Internet to check their transaction accounts also made a digital payment via the Internet. In the countries of the European Monetary Union, this percentage is really high, i.e. 96%.
In the World Bank database, there are additional numerous data that represent indicators of the use of technology in financial intermediation, such as online sales, saving with a mobile wallet, and the like.
Brief conclusion
This analysis of the World Bank data points out that our financial sector, mostly the banking sector (86% of the total financial sector), needs to further invest both in access to new technologies in financial intermediation and in technological and financial education of citizens. Certainly, the Fin-Tech industry is expected in the upcoming years to take its place and significantly contribute to the financial sector development and deepening in the Republic of Macedonia.
My name is Stanisha Stankovikj. I come from a small town called Kavadarci in North Macedonia, raised only by my mother, while the word, “father” for me is quite a “cold” and unknown noun. Even in the early high school days with activism in civic organizations and unions, with the aim of calling for actions to respect human rights and freedoms, fight against violence and discrimination, but also public focus on climate change. Today I am studying and living in Belgrade, Serbia, part of the first young organisation for children and youth from single-parent families in our country, activist for human rights and Young European Ambassador of Western Balkans.
Success Story
My first official winning award was started by Open Society Foundation Macedonia as a competition of high school students, on the topic “My Education” in Skopje, North Macedonia in 2019. It was my first public speech in front of the Minister of Education, representatives from various state institutions, directors, educators and my peers. That was my motive for future maturation as a young person in participation in a lot of projects supported and funded by the Embassy of the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Netherlands during 2020 and 2021. A large number of projects, debates, campaigns dedicated to human rights and relations. My personal involvement in this kind of education helps me to learn something more about the European Union, Council of Europe and European Court of Human Rights. Two of my favorite official visits were to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France and Brussels, Belgium! All of these gave me “power” to bring something positive to our society. In the organization of UNICEF MK, as a youth speaker on the World Children’s Day for 2021, I highlighted my commitments and activities. Addressing the problems faced by young people from single-parent families, their requests, needs and creation of essential initiatives and youth policies to the competent institutions and authorities. At the last event of the Youth Council of the US Embassy in North Macedonia, I was promoted as a strong individual with a successful story as part of a marginalized group of people. But that was not all, with exploits in organizing the first march of single families in the history of Macedonia, up to one of the winners of the award for youth participation on the occasion of the International Youth Day for 2022, in an informal group-category, supported by the President of the Republic of North Macedonia, the Agency of Youth and sports and NYCM.
Future Plans
Sometimes I wonder why exactly me, why I have to be the one who has to go through a whole hectic journey to reach a certain desired point. Over the years, I realized that each of us has a chance, that each of us is going through his own “fight“ within himself, the environment or part with the state. But I learned that we, all of us can overcome those life challenges! In the future, I see myself as a consistent fighter and activist for human rights as Promoting non-discrimination, equality, tolerance, peace and love. Whether through state, private or civic organizations, I will let time decide. I believe, I know, I must and I can succeed first for myself, for my loved ones, and then for all those who have been a huge support to me so far. Improving our local, national and regional macedonian community in every sense of the word is my valued priority. Be greeted till next time!
