Aleksandar Nikoloski: It is absurd that Macedonian carriers must count days in the EU

Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski used a business forum at the Chamber of Commerce on September 16, 2026 to press for an urgent fix to problems affecting Macedonian haulage companies and the cross‑border movement of goods.

Nikoloski said authorities must ensure a free flow of cargo "without any holds, waits or obstacles" and voiced concern that current controls and administrative burdens undermine transport firms.

He also warned about unfair competition in EU infrastructure contracts

At the same event he criticized procurement patterns inside the European Union, arguing that the largest infrastructure contracts increasingly go to companies from China and India rather than to European firms. "Taxpayer money should not be drained abroad but should circulate through the Union's economy," he added.

Translating his broader warning into a concrete complaint about border and regulatory practice, Nikoloski argued that it is unreasonable for a carrier to feel they must "count days, hours and minutes" once they get behind the wheel.

"I think we are talking about an absurdity. In the 21st century, with recognized liberalizations with a candidate country for EU membership that has begun negotiations, to discuss whether a Macedonian carrier should when he gets into a truck count the days, the hours and the minutes. If we have unfair competition on the one hand, and we do not have free flow of goods and of products, then there is no point in discussing anything. And conversely, if we solve these two problems, the possibilities are enormous," Nikoloski said.

Photo: press material from the event