Nikolloski: A final solution for our transport operators is still lacking

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikolloski said that two steps have been taken so far: drivers have been included as professionals, not tourists, in the new Schengen visa strategy, and direct agreements have been reached with individual countries in the zone to provide transport operators with long-term visas.

Nevertheless, professional drivers from North Macedonia continue to be treated as tourists and are therefore subject to the limit of 90 days’ stay within any 180-day period. Nikolloski raised the issue during a panel at the “Global Trade and Growth Forum 2026,” organized by the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Macedonia.

“We tried to find a joint solution between the Western Balkan countries and the Schengen area, but unfortunately, the EU has not offered a final solution. I would say that an organized approach is lacking,” Nikolloski said. /Telegrafi/