Skopje, 22 August 2025 (MIA) - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Aleksandar Nikoloski, will hold a working meeting Friday with the President of the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, Branko Azeski.

According to the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, the meeting will address several topics of interest to the business community, with special focus on the challenges arising from the EU’s new protocols, EES (Entry/Exit System) and ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System). These are two separate systems that the EU is gradually introducing to manage and control entry into the Schengen Area - EES from 2025 and ETIAS from 2026, which will pose an additional burden for companies.

“The business community points out that these protocols put transport operators in an unfavorable position compared to EU operators due to Schengen rules, which limit the period during which a professional driver can conduct bilateral transport services (restricted to 90 days within any 180-day period),” according to the Chamber.

According to the latest reports, the Entry/Exit System (EES) is scheduled to begin on October 12, 2025. It will be gradually rolled out over six months across 29 European countries – the 25 EU Schengen member states plus Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – with full implementation starting on April 10, 2026, from when electronic tracking of stay days will commence. At this time, no action is required from travelers regarding the second system, ETIAS, and the European Union will provide further information on the exact start date of ETIAS a few months before its launch.

During the working meeting, discussions will also cover the large Infrastructure and Construction Conference, scheduled to be organized by the Chamber in mid-next month.

Photo: Economic Chamber of North Macedonia