Macedonian government fights "construction mafia"

28/12/2006

The government has launched aggressive measures against illegal building projects in Macedonia.

By Zoran Nikolovski for Southeast European Times in Skopje – 28/12/06

Hundreds of buildings go up each year in Macedonia without prior approval or in breach of regulations. [File]

Over the past decade, the term "construction mafia" has become synonymous in Macedonia with organised crime. Developers build without legal approval, or exceed the dimensions set by the building approval authorities. With construction inspectors looking the other way, the buildings are made legal through unknown channels. The profits from legalising illegal construction are enormous.

A recent scandal is a case in point. At Skopje's City Park, a building on a protected area of about 1500 sq m was found not to have received prior approval. Not only did the building exceed the allowed measurements, but its use was altered several times since construction. It has been a multifloor garage, a sports facility, an office building, a hotel and finally a residential building.

In September 2006, following the government's initial inquiry into the case, Transport and Communications Minister Mile Janevski -- with the prime minister and the rest of the cabinet by his side -- told a press conference that he has received several threats against his life.

Poliksena Nikolovska, the manager of Skopje's Cadastre Office, and Borce Risovski, the owner of MZ Rikom International, both received year-long jail sentences in connection with the affair.

Subsequently, Janevski requested reports from all municipalities. The reports disclosed the existence of 179 illegal buildings, as well as numerous others that are in various stages of construction. Attempts to tear down these structures consistently run into problems. In one recent effort, at Vodno outside of Skopje, a crowd of building owners blocked demolition equipment.

These days, the Macedonian government starts each session with the discussion of how to combat the problem. A special co-ordination agency has been established separately to monitor and analyse every building project, with the entire procedure subject to scrutiny by the cabinet.