Balgarianovinite.com From 8pm local time (9pm Bulgarian time) on Thursday, road hauliers from North Macedonia are lifting blockades at the country’s border crossings. The decision by the MAKAM-TRANS association came after North Macedonia’s Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski wrote on his Facebook page earlier in the day that Brussels will adopt a visa strategy that will resolve the problem faced by professional drivers.
Nikoloski wrote: “I have just received fantastic news from Brussels regarding the huge problem affecting road hauliers from Macedonia! Our positions have been accepted. The drivers are recognized as professionals. This is exactly what we were seeking. Following the protests and the strong campaign over recent weeks, Brussels will adopt a new visa strategy, which will resolve the problem encountered by professional drivers. Thank you to all friends of Macedonia who helped solve this issue!”
The Transport Minister of North Macedonia also posted a photo of a European Commission document, which states that the Commission will cooperate with member states to identify practical solutions for managing stays in Schengen countries for certain categories of third-country nationals.
The protests of North Macedonia’s road hauliers were discussed on Thursday between the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timco Mucunski and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. According to a Facebook post by Mucunski, the two talked about “finding a concrete and sustainable solution to the challenges facing professional transport operators as well as the steel tariffs issue.”
The Bulgarian Police confirmed that the protests of road hauliers from North Macedonia have ended at all crossings on the two countries’ common border. Police teams in Bulgaria’s interior exercise control over vehicles going both ways between the two neighbours, the report said.
The Auto Moto Association of Macedonia had said that from January 26, heavy goods vehicle traffic was blocked at North Macedonia’s border crossings of Stari Dojran, Bogorodica and Medzitlija (with Greece), Deve Bair, Delcevo and Novo Selo (with Bulgaria), and Blace (with Kosovo). Twenty minutes later, the blockade was extended to the crossings with Albania at Kjafasan and Blato. The seven-day blockade announced by hauliers from North Macedonia, joined by their counterparts from Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, was driven by demands to change the rule limiting the stay of professional drivers from these countries to a maximum of 90 days within any six-month period in the Schengen border-free area. The restriction stems from the new Entry/Exit System (EES) 90/180 rule, introduced in October 2025. North Macedonia Hauliers Lift Border Blockades after Brussels Announces Visa Plan 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-01-29 19:06:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law