Ivo Ivanovski, Minister of Information Society and Administration
Ivo Ivanovski, Minister of Information Society and Administration

Ivo Ivanovski, Minister of Information Society and Administration, explains that his ministry aims to raise awareness of the importance of ICT and help position Macedonia as a technologically advanced nation. Macedonia has already made impressive progress, boosting Internet penetration from less than 10% in 2006 to 65.8% in 2013.

European Times: What are some recent advances in Macedonia’s ICT sector?

Ivo Ivanovski: We liberalised Macedonia’s telecom sector in 2007 and now it is very competitive. We have three mobile operators as well as multiple cable operators, IPTV, and fibre-to-the-home services. We have also established true one-stop-shop e-government services for our citizens. In June 2013, Macedonia became the first country in the region to switch from analog to digital TV, which allowed us to attract more investment into the telecom market. Now all three operators will offer fourth-generation technologies this year. We have also implemented strong regulations for electronic communications, including special legislation for open data. We will continue to invest in our institutions and human capital. We have strengthened the requirements for employees in administration, who must have a minimum of 30 hours of training per year.

European Times: Why should European investors target Macedonia?

Ivo Ivanovski: We have a very close partnership with the EU and with EU countries, and for five years in a row Macedonia has met all the criteria to be an EU candidate. By the end of this year, thanks to new fourth-generation services, Macedonia will have the most advanced telecom network in the region, and we also have very good 3G coverage reaching over 85% of the population. Our Internet-connection rate is also high for the region. For investors, there is still a lot of room to bring more innovation and more services to the Macedonian market.

European Times: How are you supporting innovation in the ICT sector?

Ivo Ivanovski: We brought free WiFi Internet connections to 680 villages and now private operators are targeting these users, which was our goal. Our Fund for Innovations for Technological Development is designed to support entrepreneurship in ICT, while Macedonia’s favourable tax regime and liberalised trade environment are drawing more FDI. Our skilled human resources are another advantage. Macedonia cannot compete in quantity of people, but we can compete in the quality of our people.

European Times: What is your personal message to European investors?

Ivo Ivanovski: Visit Macedonia and see the progress we have made. Macedonia is small in area but has a big heart.