TIRZ seeks buyer for Aptiv and BMZ plants in Skopje
TIRZ says it is in talks with EU-based investors to take over the capacities vacated by Aptiv and BMZ before the end of the year.
TIRZ is actively looking for an investor to take over the factory halls currently occupied by Aptiv and BMZ after both companies announced they will leave North Macedonia by the end of the year.
The Technological-Industrial Development Zones (TIRZ) say talks are under way with several potential buyers and that they hope to secure a deal before year-end that would keep the capacities in the Skopje zone in use. TIRZ added that the most likely candidate is a company that will close plants elsewhere in Europe and relocate production here; the agency declined to name the country, saying only that the investor is from an EU member state.
"Our aim and pledge is to reach an agreement with this investor so that it will take over these facilities in the zone in Skopje," the TIRZ letter says.
Both Aptiv and BMZ have already announced that they will move production to other countries — specifically Portugal and Poland — while an earlier closure in the zone was carried out by the US firm Dura.
Investment flows and unanswered questions
Official figures cited by institutions show that total foreign direct investment inflows for the two-year period from July 2024 to June 2026 amount to 1.3 billion euros. In response to a query from a local broadcaster about how much of that total represents new investment versus reinvestment by companies already present, and which projects were backed by state aid agreements, TIRZ did not provide names of investors. The agency only stated that it fulfils requirements with all companies.
Data from the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia (NBRM) indicate that, as of July 2026, total foreign investments amounted to 87 million euros — about 25 million euros less than in the same month last year, when inflows were just over 112 million euros.
It remains uncertain whether TIRZ will succeed in persuading a new investor to take over the vacated halls or whether the facilities will remain empty for a period of time.
Photo: press material from the event
