Skopje, 21 April 2026 (MIA) - The head of the Transport Community, Matej Zakonjšek, assured MPs in Skopje that work is underway to find a solution for the duration of the stay of professional transporters in the Schengen Area. He said regular meetings are held in Brussels on the issue, with the Transport Community facilitating the process.

At a session of Parliament’s Committee on European Affairs on Tuesday, Zakonjšek presented the key findings from the 2025 Annual Reports of the Transport Community.

“I am very aware of this issue. As the Transport Community we are facilitating between all the various parties in order to find a solution to address some of these issues. There are regular meetings on the issue in Brussels where we assess all aspects - what are the problems and what are the short-term and long-term solutions - in order to find a solution. It is important to realize how significant this issue is for the transporters and I think everyone is on the same page. The Macedonian association of professional transporters is very active on the issue, always providing examples and possible solutions. We are here, rest assured, we are as active as we can be on this issue, but of course we also have limited options because this is a Schengen regulation,” Zakonjšek said in response to a question posed by SDSM MP Mitko Trajchulevski.

The chair of the Committee, Antonio Miloshoski, said resolving the issue in the best possible way is in the interest of everyone in Europe.

“Regarding the transporters, what helps us is the presence of economic chambers and businesspeople outside Macedonia who have associates here. Macedonia hosts foreign investments that produce and export goods for the German and Austrian automotive industries, for Slovakia, and for other countries. Any disruption or delays in that chain of cooperation raises both the transport costs and the price of the final product. It is in the interest of everyone in Europe that this issue be resolved in the best possible way. In May, I expect a visit from a high-level Croatian delegation, and among other topics, this issue will be discussed within the frameworks of the already existing system which certainly cannot be changed. The aim will be to find countries where there is goodwill to help overcome these transport challenges at an operational level,” Miloshoski said.

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