The Ministry of Energy, Mining, and Mineral Resources announced that the collection of fees for the exploitation of mineral resources in the first quarter of 2025 reached 247,491,155 denars. This represents more than a two-fold increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 110,576,324 denars were collected.
This significant growth is the result of the dedicated and intensified activities of the Ministry to improve collection and strengthen control over the obligations of concessionaires.
Strengthened Control and Active Measures Towards Concessionaires
The Ministry has implemented serious activities to strengthen the collection of fees, including:
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Sending written warnings to concessionaires, warning of potential contract termination if they do not fulfill their obligations on time.
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Intensification of regular and extraordinary field inspections.
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Unilateral termination of about ten contracts with concessionaires who failed to meet their legal obligations, with another ten ongoing procedures.
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Adoption of a new Tariff for determining the fees, effective from January 1, 2025.
New Tariff: Fair Payment for the Use of National Resources
With the new Tariff, the amount of fees for issuing permits and concessions for mineral resource exploitation has increased by up to 100%, aiming to ensure a fair value for the use of natural resources.
Key changes include:
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A 30% increase in the fee for using the space for exploitation.
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Marble exploitation fee: 5% of revenue from sold raw material, instead of a previous fictitious price.
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An increase in the fee for metallic mineral resources from 2% to 4%.
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An average increase of over 100% for non-metallic mineral resources.
These changes do not apply to energy minerals, such as coal, to avoid additional pressure on electricity prices.
Greater Collection – Greater Investments in Municipalities
The increase in collection directly affects the budgets of municipalities where concessionaires operate, as well as the budget of the Republic of North Macedonia. These funds are used for the construction and maintenance of municipal infrastructure in local government units, projects for sustainable development, energy transition, and environmental protection projects.
The Ministry of Energy, Mining, and Mineral Resources remains committed to establishing the highest standards for fair management of natural resources and strengthening the economic benefits of their exploitation.
Respectfully,
Ministry of Energy, Mining, and Mineral Resources