According to The Serbian Economist, Ukrainian tennis player Oleg Prykhodko has decided to change his sporting citizenship and will henceforth compete under the flag of North Macedonia.
The athlete is renouncing the flag under which he previously competed in international tournaments. Details of the transition process, as well as the reasons behind his decision, have not yet been officially disclosed.
Oleg Prykhodko is currently ranked 296th in the ATP rankings, which will make him one of North Macedonia’s leading tennis players once the change in sporting citizenship is complete.
The 27-year-old tennis player primarily competes in ATP Challenger and ITF tournaments. Over the course of his career, he has won several titles in both singles and doubles.
https://t.me/relocationrs/3211
According to The Serbian Economist, North Macedonia has signed a contract for the supply of American Javelin anti-tank systems. Defense Minister Vlado Misailovski said the delivery is expected in 2027.
This is part of a broader program to modernize the country’s military, which, following its accession to NATO, is gradually transitioning to Western weapons systems and equipment from its allies.
According to Misailovski, Boran artillery systems from Turkey, some Mistral 3 equipment, and all U.S. JLTV light tactical vehicles have already arrived in North Macedonia. The latest order of Stryker armored vehicles is expected to arrive at the port of Thessaloniki.
The minister also reported that the total value of agreements with the U.S. amounts to approximately 339 million euros. Among the new contracts, he mentioned light infantry weapons, Puma and Raven unmanned aerial systems, cybersecurity equipment, communications equipment, and air support equipment.
Two helicopters ordered from the Italian company Leonardo are expected to arrive by the end of the year. Previously, Skopje signed a contract for eight AgustaWestland AW149 and AW169 helicopters worth 249 million euros, including VAT.
North Macedonia is systematically restructuring its army in accordance with NATO standards and strengthening its mobility, anti-tank defense, artillery, communications, cyber defense, and aviation capabilities.
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According to Serbian Economist, North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova stated that the European Union needs to revise its methodology for accession negotiations, as the current format, in her words, should not be based on the principle of “shut up and listen.”
Siljanovska-Davkova emphasized that North Macedonia does not accept such an approach to dialogue with the EU. According to her, the negotiation process should be based on equality, respect, and clear criteria, rather than on political demands that go beyond the classic conditions for accession.
The criticism came amid a protracted deadlock in North Macedonia’s European integration. The country received candidate status back in 2005, but its path to the EU was blocked for many years, first by a dispute with Greece over the country’s name, and then by disagreements with Bulgaria regarding history, language, and the rights of the Bulgarian minority.
Following the 2018 Prespa Agreement, the country changed its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia, which paved the way for NATO accession and was intended to accelerate European integration. However, the negotiation process later stalled again due to demands related to the inclusion of Bulgarians in the country’s constitution.
In 2022, the EU agreed on the so-called French proposal, which was intended to lift the Bulgarian veto and unblock the negotiations. However, in Skopje, this formula sparked heated political controversy: some political forces believe that bilateral historical and identity issues should not become part of European criteria.
Siljanovska-Davkova has previously criticized the EU’s approach, stating that enlargement must return to the Copenhagen criteria, the principles of meritocracy, reforms, and the rule of law, rather than depend on additional bilateral requirements.
Formally, the country remains on the European path; however, without constitutional changes and a political compromise with Bulgaria, the opening and advancement of negotiation chapters remain complicated.
Currently, the official candidate countries for EU membership are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Kosovo is viewed by the EU as a potential candidate, but its status is complicated by the fact that five EU member states do not recognize Kosovo’s independence.
Turkey’s history shows that candidate status alone does not guarantee accession.
Turkey applied for membership in the then-European Economic Community as far back as 1987, received candidate status in 1999, and accession negotiations began in 2005.
However, Turkey’s negotiations with the EU have effectively reached an impasse and have not progressed for many years. The main reasons are the EU’s concerns regarding the state of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and media freedom, as well as political disagreements with certain EU member states. While Turkey formally remains a candidate country, its EU membership is not considered a realistic scenario in the near future.
For North Macedonia and other candidate countries, the Turkish example serves as a reminder that the accession process can take decades. Therefore, Skopje is pushing for a more predictable and politically balanced methodology, under which progress toward the EU would depend primarily on reforms rather than on new bilateral blockages.
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According to Serbian Economist, North Macedonia plans to build a high-speed railway from the border with Serbia to the border with Greece by 2031, which should integrate the country into the new Athens–Thessaloniki–Skopje–Belgrade–Budapest–Vienna transport corridor. The project is of direct importance to Serbia, as its effectiveness depends on the modernization of the Serbian sections between Belgrade and Niš and the future Niš–Skopje route.
North Macedonia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Aleksandar Nikolovski, stated in an interview with MIA that Skopje plans to build a line “from border to border,” that is, from the border with Serbia to the border with Greece.
This involves the development of Railway Corridor 10, which is intended to connect Greek ports and North Macedonia with Serbia, Hungary, Austria, and onward to Central Europe. Nikoloski stated that the goal of the project is to build a high-speed railway from Athens through Thessaloniki and Skopje northward to Belgrade, Budapest, and Vienna, which will “completely transform the structure of the economy and business” in the region.
According to the North Macedonian Ministry of Transport, the project is set to become one of the largest infrastructure projects in Southeast Europe. Nikoloski previously stated that passenger trains on the future line should travel at speeds of up to 250 km/h, and freight trains at up to 140 km/h, with 750-meter-long freight trains compliant with European standards being a key feature.
The cost of the Macedonian section is estimated at approximately EUR2 billion.
The project is currently in the preparatory stage. According to Nikoloski, the most suitable route has been selected from several options, and planning, geotechnical studies, and an environmental impact assessment are currently underway. The new route is expected to be approximately 35 km shorter than the existing one, which is particularly important for freight transit between Greek ports and Central Europe.
The Serbian component is key to the entire scheme. If North Macedonia connects its borders with Greece and Serbia but the Serbian section is not modernized, the project’s impact will be limited.
Therefore, Belgrade–Niš–Skopje is becoming the central missing link in the vertical transport corridor from the Aegean Sea to Central Europe.
Serbia is already modernizing the Belgrade–Niš railway. The EUR 2.2 billion financial package from the EU, EIB, and EBRD provides for the upgrade of the line to allow trains to travel at speeds of up to 200 km/h. The package includes an EU grant of up to EUR 598 million, an EIB loan of EUR 1.1 billion, and an EBRD loan of EUR 550 million.
In the northern part of the route, the Belgrade–Budapest section is already under development. The Serbian section of the Belgrade–Novi Sad line was opened earlier, and the further connection to Hungary is set to become part of the broader Budapest–Belgrade–Skopje–Athens corridor. However, the launch of service along the entire line to Budapest depends on the readiness of the Hungarian section and technical certification.
For Serbia, the new Macedonian project opens up an important economic prospect. If the entire Athens/Piraeus–Thessaloniki–Skopje–Niš–Belgrade–Budapest–Vienna corridor is modernized, Serbia could strengthen its role as a transit and logistics hub between Europe’s southern ports and Central European markets.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2858
According to Serbian Economist, associations of truckers from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia have announced their intention to start protest actions on January 26, 2026, by blocking freight terminals at border crossings in the direction of Schengen countries. The planned actions were reported by regional media outlets, citing statements from the relevant associations.
The carriers cite the practical application and future tightening of controls in connection with the introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) as the reason for their actions. According to them, professional drivers from non-EU countries will effectively be subject to the 90-day rule within a 180-day period for short stays in the Schengen area, just like ordinary tourists. Carriers warn that with the “strict” application of the rules from spring 2026, some drivers may quickly exhaust their stay limit, which will create risks for supply chains and freight traffic between the EU and the Western Balkans region.
The European Commission has stated that it is monitoring the situation and is in contact with its Western Balkan partners, while pointing out that the rules for short stays in Schengen are “clear” and that practical decisions at the external borders are the responsibility of the member states.
EES is an automated EU IT system for registering the entry and exit of non-EU citizens on short-term trips, including recording document and biometric data, with the aim of improving the efficiency of external border controls and detecting overstays. The European Commission has announced that the system is being implemented in stages, with full deployment at all border crossing points planned for April 10, 2026, when electronic records are to finally replace stamps in passports.
If blockades are implemented at freight terminals, queues and delays are possible in a number of EU-Western Balkans directions, which may affect the timing of commercial deliveries in the region and throughout Europe.
Blockade, Bosnia, CARGO, Macedonia, MONTENEGRO, Schengen, SERBIA, Trucking company
