site.btaUPDATED North Macedonia Hauliers Lift Border Blockades after Brussels Announces Visa Plan

From 8pm local time (9pm Bulgarian time) on Thursday, road hauliers from North Macedonia are lifting blockades at the country’s border crossings. The decision by the MAKAM-TRANS association came after North Macedonia’s Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski wrote on his Facebook page earlier in the day that Brussels will adopt a visa strategy that will resolve the problem faced by professional drivers.

Nikoloski wrote: “I have just received fantastic news from Brussels regarding the huge problem affecting road hauliers from Macedonia! Our positions have been accepted. The drivers are recognized as professionals. This is exactly what we were seeking. Following the protests and the strong campaign over recent weeks, Brussels will adopt a new visa strategy, which will resolve the problem encountered by professional drivers. Thank you to all friends of Macedonia who helped solve this issue!”

The Transport Minister of North Macedonia also posted a photo of a European Commission document, which states that the Commission will cooperate with member states to identify practical solutions for managing stays in Schengen countries for certain categories of third-country nationals.

The protests of North Macedonia’s road hauliers were discussed on Thursday between the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timco Mucunski and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. According to a Facebook post by Mucunski, the two talked about “finding a concrete and sustainable solution to the challenges facing professional transport operators as well as the steel tariffs issue.”

The Bulgarian Police confirmed that the protests of road hauliers from North Macedonia have ended at all crossings on the two countries’ common border. Police teams in Bulgaria's interior exercise control over vehicles going both ways between the two neighbours, the report said.

The Auto Moto Association of Macedonia had said that from January 26, heavy goods vehicle traffic was blocked at North Macedonia’s border crossings of Stari Dojran, Bogorodica and Medzitlija (with Greece), Deve Bair, Delcevo and Novo Selo (with Bulgaria), and Blace (with Kosovo). Twenty minutes later, the blockade was extended to the crossings with Albania at Kjafasan and Blato. The seven-day blockade announced by hauliers from North Macedonia, joined by their counterparts from Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, was driven by demands to change the rule limiting the stay of professional drivers from these countries to a maximum of 90 days within any six-month period in the Schengen border-free area. The restriction stems from the new Entry/Exit System (EES) 90/180 rule, introduced in October 2025.