Skopje, 26 January 2026 (MIA) - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski said communication is ongoing with the European Union about a solution to the measures announced for the transporters, as well as the export tariffs in the steel industry. He noted that attention is drawn to the fact that in the event of their implementation, the country will pay a price that will be four to six times higher than the funds it is to receive from the Growth Plan.

In an interview with Sitel TV on Monday, Mucunski said he hopes for some kind of outcome because the EU has indicated they are aware of the issue and work is underway to find a solution.

According to Mucunski, if intentions for regional integration are sincere, the EU will not allow implementation of measures that will have such a negative impact on the economy.

"Beyond the issue with the transporters, we are facing an additional challenge - the potential tightening of EU steel tariffs for countries in the region. This does not apply only to us, but to all candidate countries and countries in the Western Balkans region. Since September, we have been actively communicating with the European Union on these two key issues. Among other things, we are telling the EU that, with the utmost respect for the Growth Plan, which I consider very positive and very significant, if this measure is applied to our transporters and if the steel tariffs measure is implemented, we will pay a price that will be four to six times higher than the funds we would receive from the Growth Plan. The EU that complains about unprincipled tariffs has decided to put not only us but the entire region, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, in a tariff group alongside Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Cyprus, and we have been urging high-ranking officials for months that a solution must be found," said Mucunski.

He noted that this issue has been raised several times at the highest level, including by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski during European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit.  

"As countries, we have been informed that the EU is aware of the issue and work is underway to find a solution. What we are not satisfied with is the current pace of the solution development, but it falls upon us to discuss it, to appeal and to offer concrete solutions regarding both issues, and to be unified in our position as a region. We hope for some progress. If the European Union is sincere in its intentions for regional integration, it will certainly not allow implementation of measures that will have such a negative economic impact on the entire region in the short, medium and long term," Mucunski said.

Photo: MIA archive