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Over the last 15 years, all the legislation on waste management in the Republic of Macedonia has been brought in compliance with the European legislation. The major challenge in the economy, however, still happens to be the (non) implementation of the enforced laws on green economy. Major constrains in waste management practices remain to be organization of institutions and human resources; financing of services and investments; stakeholder (non) awareness; and lack of technical management in all phases from collection to final disposal of waste. It is not only that the present situation has negative impact on the public health and the environment, but it also has serious negative economic effects which consequently affects issues related to the total economic growth of the country.

The paper has a special focus on managing packaging and packaging waste and analyzes the results of the implementation of the Law of Management of Packaging and Packaging Waste which was enforced in 2009. Positive initiatives in waste management practices were undertaken by PAKOMAK, the first Macedonian company that has been holding the license for selecting and processing of packaging waste since January 2011. The company has a proactive role in promoting the importance of packaging waste and its management, with a special emphasis on projects that increase the awareness of the whole society, especially that of the young population. Some of the projects that increase the eco-awareness of young population will be presented in the paper.

In the last two decades, the region of Southeast Europe, Republic of Macedonian included, has been marked by a politics based on the pronounced primacy of the issue of national identity over other socio-political questions. National identity as an issue per se entails material, cultural and academic processes aiming at the construction and fixing of an idea and a sense of a collective. Ample evidence in terms of material culture (the architectural project Skopje 2014) and recorded public discourse supports the claim that the question of national identity determines the course of politics, nationally and internationally.

The main focus of this chapter is to examine the different discourses regarding national identity, and the multicultural and cultural policies, formulated against the backdrop of the conditions set by the EU. Through a discursive analysis of some of the speeches and texts of Macedonian and Albanian political officials, this chapter will trace the various (re)constructions of national identity vis-à-vis Europe and Macedonia’s aspirations for European Union (EU) accession. Additionally, Macedonia’s complicated interethnic relations are analysed through the country’s struggle with the name dispute with Greece and, through what is seen as a lack of loyalty from the Albanian political parties and citizens, which push for the change of the name for a faster EU accession. This further complicates the picture of the Macedonian EU integration and creates a triangulation of discourses: one stemming from the EU requirements, and two more, stemming from the two major ethnic groups and political parties in Macedonia, namely the Macedonian and the Albanian.

The Republic of Macedonia is a small country on the Balkan Peninsula, comprising 25,713 square kilometers and a population of two million. For 45 years it functioned as one of the six constituent republics of the Yugoslav Federation. It was declared an independent and sovereign state in 1991. The new Constitution established the Republic not only as independent and sovereign, but also as a civil and democratic nation-state. This guaranteed complete equality and coexistence of the Macedonian people with the Albanian, Turkish, Vlach, Romany and other minorities living in the country. It also initiated the process of recognition by other states throughout the world, as well as the establishment of diplomatic relations. Macedonia was accepted as a member of the United Nations in 1993 and is currently involved in a large number of European and International associations.

In this book chapter, we analyse social entrepreneurship (SE) development in the Western Balkans and present a regional overview. SE has become a globally known contributor to alleviating societal, economic, social, and environmental concerns. Its influence on increasing people’s quality of life has put the concept on a pedestal, and the Balkans are no different. The new advances have increased the efforts from the third sector in advocating for increased visibility, recognition, and support for social enterprises (SEs) as contributors to the development of resilient communities and facilitating the countries’ recovery from economic, social, and environmental crises. To provide a regional development overview, we use the institutional perspective. We base the analysis on data by applying qualitative methods, including document analysis, conference speeches, round tables, consultations, and other impactful events conducted over the last decade. The evidence suggests that the Western Balkan countries are similar in their development and lack a clear vision, a strategic pathway, and sustainable solutions to accelerate the sector’s growth. The awareness of the SEs’ contributions is still low, hindering their impact and potential scalability. Raising awareness campaigns is much needed to increase SEs’ visibility, recognition, revenues, and financial sustainability. Intersectoral collaboration is not at a suitable level, and the coordination and partnerships between the SE actors are lacking. The region needs to make a significant and consistent effort to facilitate the sector’s development and support SEs to provide the expected societal impact.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to reveal the readiness of the employees in the banking sector in the Republic of North Macedonia to adapt to the reorganisation of working hours while at the same time using the safest payment methods in conditions when the world is trying to deal with the crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus.

Need for the study: The world is rapidly moving towards increasing digitalisation, which is part of all spheres of human life. The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus pandemic has accelerated these processes by requiring people to adapt to the new conditions. The countries that have worked rapidly to digitise the system, while massively using non-cash payments, have adapted more easily to their regular daily tasks. The Republic of North Macedonia, as a developing country, is trying to take a step forward by introducing the innovations used by developed countries, taking into account the available assets and human resources.

Methodology: A method for qualitative forecasting, Delphi, is used in three rounds, and the gained insights serve as inputs in the creation of two analytic hierarchy process (AHP) models.

Findings: From the extensive analysis we performed, we found that the lack of digitalisation and process automation made it difficult for employees to adapt to the method of working from home, and on the other hand, they had a much easier time adapting to the use of alternative distribution channels.

Practical implications: Our findings are useful for the country, regulatory bodies and the bank’s management in developing strategies and plans for working from home or reorganisation of working hours, to be more acceptable to employees, emphasising the benefits for both employees and employers. Also, researchers and management practitioners in developing countries interested in this area can follow our combined Delphi-AHP approach in conducting similar research.

The study of entrepreneurship has advanced quickly in recent decades; however, despite its extraordinary importance, the information on the influence of family on entrepreneurial intentions remains fragmented and hard to compare. Therefore, the main objective of this chapter is to give readers a thorough grasp of family enterprises’ entrepreneurial aspirations. It will also assess how previous experience in family businesses affects one’s ambition to start their own firm. For this matter, the authors will use data acquired from the GUESSS (Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey), the survey carried out among college students in different Balkan countries: North Macedonia, Albania, Greece, Croatia, and Bulgaria. The reader will be introduced to the up-to-date scientific research in the area of entrepreneurial intentions, through receiving an increased understanding of whether the role of parents has influence over the entrepreneurial intentions of their offspring.

Trade in counterfeit products has been expanding continuously. The emergence of the internet, the process of globalisation as well as the increase of digitalisation have enabled counterfeit products to infiltrate legitimate supply chains, causing harm not only to national economies but also to holders of intellectual property rights (IPR). In this chapter, we analyse the possible solutions that holders of IP rights and their legal representatives have in their fight against the online sale of counterfeit products. To elaborate on this issue, first, we explain the legislation on an international level for IPR protection and its specific characteristics. We explain the conventions on the protection of IPR that are governed by the World Intellectual Protection Organisation (WIPO) and the provisions of the TRIPS (Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement governed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). We also analyse the national legislative procedure of protecting and enforcing IPR in North Macedonia to explain a possible solution to fight online counterfeit trade. As a case study of this chapter, we explain the work of the Online Enforcement Programme of REACT as a not-for-profit organisation with over 30 years of experience in the fight against counterfeit trade and the challenges that they have in fighting against the online sale of counterfeit products. Since IP law is territorial in its nature as a conclusion, we suggest that a more centralised approach is needed in the fight against the online sale of counterfeit products.

Entrepreneurship is a mechanism that generates economic benefits. However, due to the emergence of the concept of sustainable development as an urgent issue that is affecting the globe, it is emphasized that entrepreneurship should generate sustainable wealth rather than just wealth. Therefore, the sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) notion has received rising interest lately. Nowadays, many business organizations in the Balkan region are moving toward sustainable solutions and there is a need to share knowledge on the best practices of SE. This chapter provides a detailed description of sustainable entrepreneurship drivers and outcomes with a focus on the challenges and perspectives of sustainable entrepreneurship in North Macedonia (NM). The case of Ecolog discussed in the chapter is an excellent example of its leadership in sustainable entrepreneurship and its positive impact on the community and wider. Lessons from challenges and best practices of sustainable ventures in NM are provided together with suggestions for these practices to be adopted in other countries associated with the actions required for implementation.

Being the basic need of humans, but also an attractive element of the tourist offer, gastronomy is related to the attractiveness of a destination, and Balkan gastronomy is considered to be one of the most positive aspects of the tourist image of the region. This study aims to investigate the locals' perception of gastronomic specificity of ‘Balkan food’ and national (local) food as well. Furthermore, the study investigated how ‘Balkan food’ is perceived in terms of its tourist potential, uniqueness, quality, nutrition and its general role in the creation of a joint ‘Balkan’ tourist brand. The methodology included a historical approach and a survey which involved110 respondents. Out of 21 traditional dishes identified in the official tourist promotional activities of selected countries and a review of the relevant literature, the following are identified as regional ‘Balkan’ dishes: ‘pečenje’, ‘musaka’, ‘ćevapi’ and ‘sarma’. The following are identified as national dishes: ‘pastrmajlija’, ‘sogan dolma’, ‘raštan’, ‘pašticada’, ‘burek’ and ‘svadbarski kupus’. The results indicated that some nations have specific knowledge of certain dishes being considered national and regionally present, while other nations show a lack of knowledge of food origin and regional presence in identified countries. Furthermore, the results showed that different dimensions of Balkan cuisine significantly contribute to the tourist potential of the region, while the contribution of its nutritive characteristics is perceived as less important. Results showed that ‘Balkan food’ is considered to be important for the improvement of the ‘Balkans'’ image and promotion, as well as important for the creation of the regional tourism brand.