site.btaCabinet Approves Draft Memorandum on Electronic Data Exchange between Bulgaria's, North Macedonia's Customs Authorities

The Government has approved a draft Memorandum of Understanding on electronic data exchange between the Customs Agency of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Customs Administration of the Republic of North Macedonia (RNM), the Bulgarian Cabinet's press service said here on Wednesday.

The document will allow the customs authorities of both countries to conduct electronic data exchange on goods transported by road freight vehicles, including information on empty trucks, through the System for Exchange of Excise Data (SEED). This will improve institutional coordination by enabling real-time information sharing for risk analysis and priority processing of shipments, such as perishable goods, humanitarian consignments, and others. The memorandum is expected to speed up customs procedures for regularly declared goods crossing the border.

Measures are also being taken to ease traffic along the “Green Corridors/Lanes.” At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the so-called “Green Lanes” were created — a project of the Transport Community and the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), supported by the European Commission as part of the EC’s Green Corridors initiative. The expansion of the Green Lanes aims to ensure faster passage of priority goods through the 11 busiest border crossing points between Western Balkan countries and their neighboring EU member states (Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Hungary, and Croatia).

The agreement will be signed during the upcoming EU - Western Balkans Summit in December 2025.