8th July 2026, Skopje – This Government has made record-high transfers to municipalities, with this year’s Supplementary Budget debated before the Financing and Budget Commission being a proof thereof, Deputy Minister of Finance, Nikolche Jankulovski, pointed out during the amendment discussion on the Draft 2026 Supplementary Budget before the parliamentary Financing and Budget Commission. He underscored that the Budget is a limited and constrained instrument that must meet all essential needs while also providing a development component, reflecting the Government's commitment to deliver on the promises for the benefit of the citizens.
“We are continuously increasing budget transfers for the programs of the competent ministries, particularly the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, with the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Science, and the Ministry of Social Policy, Demographics and Youth also included under the Program AA, program for financing infrastructure projects. Under the Supplementary Budget, funds transferred for infrastructure projects to all 80 municipalities have been increased from the projected Denar 2.6 billion to Denar 4.2 billion, all with the aim of improving the quality of life of the citizens - under the Local Roads Connectivity Project, Denar 566 million is transferred through the Ministry of Transport, with transfers under the Trade and Transport Facilitation Project, also being increased from Denar 246 million to Denar 620 million. These figures are an indicator of the Government's commitment, not only on paper but also on the ground, demonstrating that it is implementing projects and will continue to implement many more,” the Deputy Minister pointed out.
He emphasized that every community matters and that priorities are identified by the municipalities themselves, applying for projects under the Program AA at the local government and the relevant ministries.
He also referred to the funding for balanced regional development, noting that if all funds under the relevant budget items are considered, rather than only the funds transferred to the Bureau for Regional Development, the total amount clearly exceeds the 1% of GDP set for balanced regional development.
