site.btaNorth Macedonia Transport Minister Backs Hauliers' Border Blockades

The Auto Moto Association of Macedonia said that from Monday noon, heavy goods vehicle traffic is 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, is 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.

North Macedonia's Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski, who went to the Blace border crossing to meet truckers in the afternoon, said the action was coordinated with other Western Balkan countries. "The reason I am here today is to express my and the government's support. This protest is a warning. Hauliers want to show what will happen from April 10. The protest is timely, as February and March should be used for Schengen member states to find solutions," Nikoloski told reporters.

He outlined three possible options: delaying the rollout of the new electronic system for hauliers; increasing the number of days hauliers may spend in the Schengen area to at least 250 days, divided into cycles, instead of 180; or treating truckers not as tourists but as professionals, either exempting them from the rules or regulating their status through work visas, as currently done only by Switzerland.

Biljana Muratovska, Secretary General of MAKAM-TRANS, the Association of Employers' Organizations of Transport Companies, said: "A solution must be found for drivers' stays in the Schengen area so that full days are not recorded when they are transiting, or some form of visa should be issued that is not limited by the number of days."

Opposition SDSM leader Venko Filipche said Nikoloski had acted as an "independent analyst" instead of taking the necessary steps to prevent the problem. Speaking at a meeting of the National European Integration Council, Filipche said: "He [Nikoloski] is warning that the economy will collapse, given that more than 60-70% of our economy, particularly export and import, is linked to EU Member States. Citizens will pay the price for these failed government policies one way or another."