Abstract
The present chapter discusses the evolution of the governance and planning system of North Macedonia. It does so by analysing the administrative and territorial subdivision of the country, the planning authorities in the multi-level governance system, and the main planning instruments produced at the different territorial levels. Particular attention is given to comparing the present situation with the system that existed in the former Yugoslavia, while also reflecting on the European influences in the period of post-socialist transition. The chapter concludes that, in North Macedonia, the remnants of the socialist past combined with the European integration requirements have given rise to a complex governance and planning system plagued by a lack of coordination and contested institutional competencies.
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Notes
- 1.
The constitutional name of the country between 1991 and 2019 was the Republic of Macedonia. On 8 April 1993, the Republic of Macedonia was admitted as a member of the United Nations, with a recommendation to be temporarily named with the reference ‘the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’ until the final settlement of the name dispute with Greece. Besides Greece, the temporary reference was used by other countries that did not recognise the constitutional name—Republic of Macedonia.
- 2.
For more information, see Marjanović et al. in this volume.
- 3.
Centres on Development of Planning Regions.
- 4.
Today, they correspond to the planning regions.
- 5.
17 of which make the Greater Skopje region which enjoys a distinct status.
- 6.
A reduction from 84 established in 2004, following the 2014 Law on the Territorial Organisation of Local Self-Government (Official Gazette, No. 149/2014).
- 7.
Public Enterprise for Spatial and Urban Plans.
- 8.
The planning process at the local level starts with the development of the planning programme for an urban plan by a municipal urban planning department. The programme is evaluated by a commission for urban planning. In the case of favourable evaluation, it is then sent to a municipal council for adoption. Following the adoption of the programme, a licenced company is tasked with the preparation of the urban plan. Once the draft of the urban plan is ready, it is reviewed by an expert committee established by a Mayor. In the case of positive opinion, the draft plan is sent to the municipal council for adoption, while the Ministry of Transportation and Communications also has to endorse it.
- 9.
Licences for urban planning are issued by the Chamber of certified architects and certified engineers of the Republic of North Macedonia.
- 10.
As of October 2020, 104 public or private companies in North Macedonia possess the licence for the preparation of urban plans (MTC 2019).
- 11.
Poland and Hungary Assistance for the Restructuring of the Economy.
- 12.
The word ‘obnova’ means a ‘restoration’ or ‘reconstruction’ in the language of former Yugoslavia.
- 13.
European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
- 14.
The EU support to non-members was expanded in 1999 with two sector-specific programmes: Sapard—the programme for rural and agricultural development and ISPA—the instrument for structural policies providing investment for large-scale infrastructure projects in the area of environment and transport, but Western Balkan countries could not be the beneficiaries of these initiatives.
- 15.
Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development, and Stabilisation.
- 16.
Instrument for Pre-Accession.
- 17.
Potential candidate countries have access only to components I and II.
- 18.
Serbia and Albania got their candidacy approved too late to be fully eligible for IPA in 2007–2013, while Slovenia was already a member.
- 19.
For example, the focus of the first IPA Regional Development Operational Programme in North Macedonia was on the continuation of the development of the Southeast Europe Core Regional Transport Network (corridors VIII and X), as well as on the investments in wastewater treatment and solid waste management projects (EC, n.d.).
- 20.
This law was instrumental in the development of the country’s regional policy.
- 21.
The key support areas included environment and climate action, transport, agriculture and rural development, innovation and competitiveness, and social policies. Particular attention was also given to the projects contributing to regional development and territorial cooperation.
- 22.
This is also something that we can observe in other EU candidate countries as well (see Marjanović 2017).
- 23.
Although it can be due to its unfavourable geographic location.
- 24.
It was only in April 2020 that North Macedonia joined the EUSAIR—The EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR 2020), although the Strategy has been in force since 2014.
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Ivanišević, M., Marjanović, M., Iliev, D. (2021). Spatial Planning and Territorial Governance in North Macedonia: From Socialist Yugoslavia to European Integration. In: Berisha, E., Cotella, G., Solly, A. (eds) Governing Territorial Development in the Western Balkans. Advances in Spatial Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72124-4_6
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