Macedonia and Kosovo have signed an agreement for the introduction of joint border controls concerning the railway traffic since 2011, but until today a joint building of the Customs services, police, and inspection services haven’t been built. As was Meta Agency informed by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, this building was supposed to be built by the Kosovar side at Hani and Elezit where the complete control over the border crossing between both countries would have been conducted in one location.
But the delay in the building of the joint building between Macedonia and Kosovo isn’t the only problem for the international railway traffic. Our country was supposed to start a joint border control with Serbia, where the obligation for the building of the future building was ours and should be built near the railway station in Tabanovci. Even though the agreement between the Macedonian and the Serbian government was signed in 2015, the finances necessary for the joint border crossing are provided now, and the introduction of joint border controls will wait for 2023.
The Railway Company of RNM stressed that the joint border buildings aren’t under their jurisdiction but the waiting of the trains at the border control on both sides of the border is of their prime concern. The company stresses that the advantages of the introduction of joint border controls will contribute to the decrease in customs formalities. The shipments sent by a train will arrive faster at their destinations and the flow of cargo trains will increase.
Apart from Serbia and Kosovo, an agreement for future joint controls at the border should be concluded with Greece but it is questionable when it might be accomplished.
-With the Republic of Greece, the procedure for conclusion of bilateral agreements concerning both border crossings is in an advanced stage – state the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
In the case of Greece, at the border crossing between Gevgelija and Idomeni, a joint border building is planned to be built in Gevgelija. At the crossing Kremenica- Kafkasos, Greece should take over the obligations to build a building at Nea Kafkasos. In February, the Minister of Transportation and Communications Goran Sugareski stressed that both countries should finalize the content in the Agreement for determining the border procedures at both railway border crossings, but to this day, this document still hasn’t been signed.
