On December 1, 2025, pensioners held a protest in front of the Constitutional Court in Skopje, demanding that pension increases continue to be calculated linearly, amid ongoing legal scrutiny of last year’s law that replaced percentage-based adjustments with flat, linear increases.
Protesters warned that returning to percentage-based increases would result in minimal gains of 600 to 700 denars (around €9–11), whereas in previous linear adjustments, pensioners had received substantially higher sums. In March 2025, for instance, linear increases amounted to 2,500 denars (€40), and in September, pensioners received an additional 1,000 denars (€16) on their pension cards. A further linear adjustment of 1,000 denars (€16) is expected in March 2026.
The demonstrators emphasized the growing disparity between pensioners: some would receive only 700–800 denars (€11–13), while others could get 3,000–4,000 denars (€48–65) under a percentage-based system.
Zoran Trajkov, head of the pensioners’ initiative committee, stated: “We won’t have enough for food if the increase reverts to a percentage. The difference between the highest and lowest pensions was 1 to 4, now it’s 1 to 7 and will only continue to grow. Enough of dividing pensioners.” He announced an upcoming protest at the EU Office in Skopje on December 10.
Trajkov further emphasized the broader stakes: “Our fight is for all future pensioners, for a crust of bread and for medicines. We are not speaking against the Government but for a unified Macedonia. Enough with the divisions. Our voice will continue to be heard.”
Many pensioners highlighted that they remain on minimal pensions because they are “victims of the transition,” with unpaid contributions, struggling to survive.
The law changing pension adjustments was adopted last year following pensioners’ demands, instituting linear increases for all 345,000 pensioners in North Macedonia. Nikola Memov, director of the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, told Radio Free Europe that linear adjustments aim to reduce living costs, align pensions with rising expenses, and improve standards alongside public sector salaries.
In the past two days, pensioners from Štip, Sveti Nikole, Skopje, and Kumanovo also protested, calling not only for linear pension adjustments, but also for enhanced death benefits and the introduction of a dedicated pension card.
