Gjorgjievski after one year: debts cut by 3.68 billion denars, but the 100 new buses are still just an announcement

Almost a year after moving into the mayor's office, Orce Gjorgjievski came out with a progress report and a guarantee. "I can guarantee that by the end of my term, all of this will be delivered," he said, holding up his election programme. He added that something promised for the first year might arrive in the second.

The strongest part of the report is the money. The City of Skopje's liabilities have been cut by 1.065 billion denars, and those of six public enterprises by another 2.615 billion, about 3.68 billion denars in total, or roughly 60 million euros. The biggest reduction was at the water and sewage utility (1.66 billion denars), followed by public transport company JSP Skopje (634 million). The Skopje City Museum and the cultural centre KIC have also been cleared of debt.

The numbers sound good, but they don't tell the whole story. How much of it was actually paid off, how much was rescheduled or adjusted on paper, and how many new liabilities were created in the meantime? Without those answers, the report is half a picture.

On infrastructure the list is long: finished reconstructions of Pero Nakov and Franjo Kluz streets, the Estakada overpass, the Momin Potok interchange in its final phase, the bridge between Ljubljanska and Skupi announced for the end of the year, Boris Trajkovski Boulevard close to completion. But many of these projects were started under previous mayors. Finishing stuck projects is work, but it isn't a vision.

And vision is exactly what people are waiting for. The "Skopje 2025-2045" strategy was supposed to be drawn up by an international board, yet there is no public information that such a board was ever formed. Gjorgjievski says the board exists and that maybe it was his mistake not to announce it, but he couldn't recall the names of the foreign experts. The new General Urban Plan, already four years late, is now announced for 2028.

For Skopje residents waiting at a bus stop, the most important number is a different one: 100 new eco-friendly buses. They are still an announcement, just like bus rapid transit and the city train. If after a year public transport is right where it was, how many guarantees will the city need before the bus shows up on time?