Skopje, 26 January 2026 (MIA) - Border crossings Deve Bair, Delchevo, Novo Selo, Dojran, Bogorodica, Medzhitlija, Kjafasan, Blato and Blace are set to be closed to cargo traffic on Monday due to the announcements of transporters to block the country's entry/exit points, whereas the Tabanovce-Presevo crossing will be closed on the Serbian side.

Macedonian transporters, as well as those from Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, have announced a seven-day blockade of the border crossings leading to the Schengen zone due to the introduction of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) by the European Union, seeking a solution to the problem related to the registration of Schengen stay in line with the rule 90/180 days for professional drivers.

"The protest in all four countries will begin at noon for all vehicles exiting the country, while entry will be blocked as of midnight so that all those coming back to the country can enter and join the protest. The top demand of transporters is finding a solution to the stay of the drivers in the Schengen zone, by not recording days or issuing some type of visas that are not limited by the number of days," said secretary general of the association of transporters "Makam-Trans", Biljana Muratovska.

Muratovska said the new rules will result in a complete collapse of the economy in the country and the Western Balkans, including Turkey, because the supply chain will be interrupted.

According to her, the seven-day blockade is synonymous with the average cycle of commodities' transport.

"We are aware that the blockade will result in certain financial losses for all, but the benefits will be enormous for the growth and development of the economy in the country and the Western Balkans if our demands are met," said Muratovska.

Deputy PM and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski has said that concerns have been voiced regarding the issue for over a year, adding that it is a huge economic problem which could trigger a complete meltdown of the Macedonian and regional economy. He noted that although talks have been ongoing with EU representatives, efforts were so far to no avail.

"In December, I had a heated exchange of arguments with EU authorities in Brussels. Unfortunately, my efforts were to no avail, and these radical measures are the only way to attract attention. The Government and I fully understand the Macedonian transporters, we understand their revolt, and we support their demands. This problem really needs to be resolved by postponing the EES for professional drivers or finding a way for them to obtain work visas, the EU should resolve this. I don't think they understand in the EU what this means for the Western Balkan countries. It is a matter of classic bureaucracy, complete ignorance and lack of attention to the problem," Nikoloski pointed out.

Marcus Lamer, a European Commissioner Spokesperson, has said that the EES does not introduce new rules on the length of short-term stays in the Schengen area, but allows better enforcement of the rules.

"Under the Schengen Agreement, non-EU citizens can stay in the EU for 90 days within 180 days, and any longer period must be covered by a long-term visa or residence permit," said Lamer.

The EC spokesperson added that the current agreement on the EES “already provides a certain flexibility, which is enabled for cross-border workers, for those who often use the same crossing and people with special permits”.

“Those persons do not register in the EES, but they are susceptible to random control… The decisions about random controls are on the EU member states”, he noted.

The EES, which has been gradually introduced starting from 12 October 2025, implies digital registration of citizens of non-EU countries, including those from the Western Balkans, when they travel to 29 European countries. The system collects and stores biometric data such as fingerprints, facial images and other travel information, thereby replacing the passport stamps.

MIA file photo