While North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski maintains a firm nationalist stance toward Bulgaria, several of his close relatives operate businesses registered in the country, according to a bTV investigation broadcast on Sunday.
Though Mickoski himself holds no direct business interests in Bulgaria, his brother-in-law Jordancho Yanev and cousin Doncho Karastoyev own transport companies registered in the Bulgarian village of Kulata, near the Greek border. His sister-in-law, Stevica Yaneva—wife of Jordancho and sister of Mickoski’s wife—holds a Bulgarian passport, bTV reported.
The television report revealed that Yanev owns the international freight company “Dano Trans,” which operates a fleet of trucks across Europe. According to company filings reviewed by bTV, the firm generates annual revenues of BGN 2–3 million ($1.1–1.6 million). Karastoyev, a first cousin of Yanev, is listed as manager of a second company, “Infinity Transport Group,” at the same address.
An accountant interviewed by bTV confirmed that the companies are registered at her private home and that both Yanev and his wife obtained Bulgarian citizenship using her address.
Despite the legal nature of these businesses, the report highlights a contradiction: Mickoski’s VMRO-DPMNE party has previously criticized political opponents, including former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, for operating firms in Bulgaria—presenting such ties as politically damaging.
“There’s nothing wrong with having a company in Bulgaria. The problem is the hypocrisy,” journalist Borjan Jovanovski told bTV. “Politicians denounce Bulgaria publicly, yet benefit from its EU membership in private.”
Mickoski has refused to implement a constitutional amendment recognizing the Bulgarian minority in North Macedonia—a condition for EU accession negotiations—while simultaneously calling for recognition of a Macedonian minority in Bulgaria.
bTV also reported that more than 100 companies owned by North Macedonian nationals are registered at a single address in Petrich, including firms linked to Zaev’s relatives.
The report underscores ongoing tensions between Skopje and Sofia, as nationalist rhetoric in North Macedonia contrasts sharply with the economic integration pursued by many of its political elite.