The Government changed its position on the Ilovica copper mine and now favors its opening after a businessman close to the ruling DUI party bought a significant share in the company, said VMRO-DPMNE member of Parliament Antonio Milososki.
The public was shocked after the nominally SDSM led Government made a move that advances the opening of the mine, even after SDSM long opposed its construction.

I believe that there is a political, besides an economic element to this, and it is linked to the interests of a company close to DUI, a company that gives financial and logistical support to DUI. Its entry into this concessions was likely the trigger that moved the Economy Ministry to speed up all the procedures that were dragged out for years, Milososki said.

The Ministry agreed to allow the company to merge two concessions it was advancing in the area of Strumica, that will help it greatly in the push to open the Ilovica mine .Locals in the fertile Strumica valley fear that the mine will poison their land with chemicals and that, if construction of the dam is done badly, they could suffer a major disaster.