Albania and North Macedonia advance joint customs controls with a new Protocol

North Macedonia and Albania are expanding cooperation between their customs administrations through a new Protocol related to customs controls at joint border crossing points.

The Customs Administration said that strengthening border management at the crossings with Albania, through more functional controls and trade facilitation, is expected to help accelerate regional integration into the EU.

According to the Customs Administration’s statement, the focus of the customs administrations’ engagement will be the advancement of procedures to be defined by the new Protocol for the implementation of the Agreement between the two states on joint border crossing points.

Delegations from both customs institutions, led by Boban Nikollovski and Besmir Beja, together with senior OSCE representatives, carried out an inspection of how management functions at the Qafë Thanë border crossing point. After that, the three parties also held a meeting where the practical implementation of the Agreement and the Protocol was discussed.

Nikollovski stressed that cooperation with Albania has already become a genuine partnership, built on mutual trust, open communication and a shared understanding that efficient border administration is of key importance for economic development, regional connectivity and the security of the two countries and the region. He added that the signing of the Protocol should lead to shorter waiting times, faster trade flows, increased confidence from the business community, as well as quicker movement of travelers and goods.

Beja, Director of the Customs Administration of the Republic of Albania, said that meetings of this kind show that progress is achieved when both sides act together.

He stated that cooperation between the customs administrations is the best example of how conditions can be improved both for citizens and for the business community in both countries. According to Beja, North Macedonia’s Customs Administration enjoys a good reputation as an institution that has made the greatest progress. He added that the Protocol will coordinate customs processes and enable the joint use of available resources, which directly serves better controls and trade facilitation.

Eduard Anderson, head of the Police Reform and Criminal Justice Programme at the OSCE Mission to Skopje, said it was a privilege to be part of a historic event that “not only advances joint action, but also increases the security of the citizens of both states.”

The Customs Administration’s statement also highlighted the remarks of Darko Angelov, head of the Security Cooperation Department at the OSCE Mission in Tirana, who said the Protocol represents the successful completion of a decade of cooperation in border management, built and continuously improved with the support of the OSCE missions in Macedonia and Albania. He added that a long road has been traveled since the establishment of the first police contact center for cooperation, which has now also been expanded to the customs section at the Qafë Thanë border crossing.