EVN began work in the village of Slupcane, despite warnings from local residents that they won’t guarantee safety for the energy company’s crews. EVN was able to replace counters in part of the village, and will conduct repairs on the distribution network.

This comes after an agreement with local representatives, who insist that EVN should continue to provide energy without pushing too hard for payments of bills. Locals demanded that their energy bills are capped at 50 EUR per month, a request that EVN reportedly rejected, but did agree to have welfare recipients pay their bills in installments.

Zekirija Shaini, head of the Lipkovo municipal council, insists that 60 percent of households in Slupcane are paying their bills. A number of Albanian villages in Macedonia are no-go zones for EVN and other bill collectors, and for the police in general.