What USAID’s withdrawal means for North Macedonia 

With USAID’s withdrawal, donors such as the European Union and Switzerland are becoming increasingly important in North Macedonia. But fears are growing that “fewer Western countries” will bridge the funding gap. Nebojsa Mojsoski cruises to his Swissinfo appointment on an electric scooter. A hospital manager, he’s a busy man, and has to move quickly through Skopje’s traffic. Only a year ago, his life was on the brink. Mojsoski tells us about people who fear for their apartments and cars. They bought them in the belief that their work contracts would end only in 2028. “I worked on USAID-funded projects in this country for 25 years,” he says. But in 2025, the administration of President Donald Trump discontinued payments to the United States development agency. Like around 100 other countries, North Macedonia was hit by USAID’s withdrawal. The NATO member state in southeastern Europe is home to some 1.5 million people. EU, Switzerland and Norway gain signficance According to an ...