Municipal authorities in Skopje’s downtown Centar district announced they will continue to demolish terraces built by 20 popular establishments in the center.

The often closed terraces were usually used to allow patrons to smoke in semi-indoors conditions and are frequently enclosed in glass and metal. The main objection by commuters is that they block pedestrian lanes and force people onto the streets.

Some popular restaurants and cafes, like Gurmet, Susiko, Paladium, Coffey Factory, Deus, Broz, Pravda and others are on the list of establishments asked to remove their own enclosed terrace or see it removed by the municipal authorities.

Similarly, in the Cair district, which covers the popular tourist haunts of the Old Bazaar, Mayor Visar Ganiu called on a number of cafes and restaurants to remove their terraces. Ganiu promised that the financial fines will be waived if owners remove their terraces themselves.