Macedonia completes denationalization process

The Ministry of Finance has settled the last of a total of 30,744 requests for denationalization of property in a first-instance procedure, Vice-Premier and FinMin Zoran Stavreski said Saturday at a press conference.

Resolving of these cases has brought justice to about half a million citizens, who were deprived of their property about 50 years ago, Stavreski said.

"The Government has wrapped up yet another historic process for the citizens of Macedonia," Stavreski said.

The denationalisation, i.e. returning of property to former owners, is one of the key processes for the development of a democratic society in terms of rule of law, he added.

Most of the property restitution settlements are effective, while about 10 percent of them are subject of s complaint procedure before the Constitutional Court.

The Law on Denationalisation entered into force in May of 2000.