Political Academy 2023: “Leaders for the future" - Foundation Office North Macedonia
The first part of the module was mainly dedicated to the most significant economic characteristics of the Macedonian economy, as well as the challenges brought by the European crises, the war in Ukraine and the instability of the financial market.
Maja Kadievska-Vojnovikj, Former Deputy Governor of the National Bank and international financial expert, in an informative presentation addressed the basic macroeconomic and financial indicators of the Macedonian economy. Vojnovikj particularly analyzed the macroeconomic perspectives of the Macedonian economy in the context of the Russian military aggression in Ukraine.
Goran Zdravkovski, an expert in sales and insurance, referred to microeconomics and the movement of economic flows in the economy of the state. A special focus of the presentation was placed on the effects of crisis situations on the private sector, which is the driving force of economic development.
Dame Dimitrovski, Professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University "St. Cyril and Methodius" – Skopje presented his paper drafted with support of KAS. The paper, discussion and presentation mainly focused on contemporary centre-right policies and environmental challenges. It was particularly significant to note the activities, projects and policies that can be applied in the municipalities for the improvement of environmental conditions.
The second day of the module included high-quality presentations by domestic and international experts in the field of the economy, as well as the political system.
In the working part, Victor Mizo, Managing Director of KOSTAL, one of the most significant German investments in the country, had his informative address. Mizo spoke about the importance of macroeconomic parameters and overall conditions in the country in creating a climate for new investments, innovations and progress. Particularly important was the presentation that analyzed the conditions and opportunities for investment in a period of instability on the European continent, by Antje Wandelt, Director of the Delegation of the German Industry and Commerce.
The former Macedonian president, Gjorge Ivanov, also had his address in the second part. In a moderated discussion, the president analyzed the current crises in Europe in the 21st century from a philosophical-political point of view. Ivanov underlined that it is a crisis of leadership, due to the lack of leadership among politicians who do not make decisions that mean progress.
The ceremonial closing of the Political Academy was within the framework of the topic that referred to the lack of visionary leadership, the main reason for brain drain - Concept and solutions for a better future of Macedonian citizens.
The training was closed by Daniel Braun, Official representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, who emphasized that the cooperation between KAS and VMRO-DPMNE continues on several different levels. Braun analyzed that "When we see a trend of emigration, especially among young people, the reason for this is not only higher wages in other countries, but primarily due to the fact that they do not see prospects in their own country. In this direction, the need for a significant improvement of the conditions in the health system and education is decisive, also, in terms of ecology, it can be stated that the conditions are far from EU standards, and the results of the surveys according to which only 4% of the citizens have confidence in the judiciary speak enough about the situation in this sphere. It is here that great efforts should be made, so that young people can begin to see their future in the country”.
The President of VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, thanked the cooperation with KAS, and emphasized the enormous importance of investing in the next generation of political leaders. "It is important to prevent the emigration of young people, and we can do that only with policies that will attract capital and knowledge to the country, will create an environment for competition of values and knowledge, not corruption and nepotism. We have a vision and we have shown how we do it at the local level, and now we will all have the chance to do it at the central level as well”.
Stefan Andonovski, International Secretary of VMRO-DPMNE and head of PRAC, also addressed the closing, who emphasized that the Political Academy showed that VMRO-DPMNE has young people who are ready to advance and ambitiously lead the new policies in the country. Finally, a ceremony was held to award certificates to all participants of the Political Academy.
