Macedonian transporters will be able to obtain visas for movement in Schengen Area countries at the Croatian Embassy in Skopje and in their diplomatic and consular missions, this resolves the issue that arose with the introduction of the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES), Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski said in a TV interview.
“The visa will allow them movement anywhere in the Schengen Area. Applying for the visa will be possible at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Skopje and other Croatian diplomatic and consular missions, or directly in Zagreb. This is a realization of what we’ve been talking about. You can see that we, unlike some of our neighbors, have been leading this entire operation fairly quietly because we believe that this is a significant problem that must be resolved and I don’t think we can resolve it by blaming others, by crying over our own fate, or by creating false hopes and fake news,” Nikoloski told TV Sitel in an interview.
The Deputy PM said the EU made the first move when transporters protested for the first time in February, realizing the scale of the issue and presenting their visa strategy far earlier than planned.
“And from there it was clear that professional drivers will be recognized as a category. When we succeeded in this, the only issue left was the methodology of how to do this. Our position was that it would be easiest with long-term visas,” Nikoloski said.
The transport minister adds that the country is also working with Romania, where the procedure is nearing conclusion, as well as with Austria. Switzerland has also been included since it is a part of the Schengen Area. In this way, Nikoloski said, we are resolving the issue, without much pomp.
