The European Commission in the Report on the progress of the country for 2024 assesses that the operational and administrative capacity for all types of transport is low and that little effort has been made to strengthen them. Regarding the general transport legislation, it states that the key strategic documents for transport and its sub-sectors have been established since 2023, but no progress has been made in the development of the action plan for the National Transport Strategy 2018 – 2030.

Although North Macedonia is actively involved in the work of the Transport Community, the EC states, there has been limited progress in implementing the action plans of the Transport Community Agreement. There are no plans for sustainable urban mobility for Skopje and other major cities. In the new government, the Minister of Transport, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, remains responsible for the transport and postal sectors.

– For road transport, the legislation is partially aligned with EU law. Further efforts are needed to fully comply with EU law on social and market rules in road transport. The executive body for road traffic safety has not yet been established, and a road safety strategy has not yet been drawn up. Road infrastructure safety management legislation and minimum safety requirements for tunnels in the trans-European road network are not aligned with EU legislation. National legislation on market access to international passenger transport is partially aligned with EU legislation. is. The Law on Hazardous Substances is harmonized with EU law, but there is still no appointed legal entity that will perform conformity assessment of the existing equipment for the transport of hazardous substances, the Report states.

The EC assesses that the capacities of the State Transport Inspectorate remain weak and that the funding for road maintenance does not cover the needs.

With regard to rail transport, he states that the conditions have been met regarding the separation of the infrastructure manager and the national operator, and criticizes the delay in the liberalization of rail transport.

After opening the rail market to all operators from December 2023, the recent amendments to the Law aimed at closing the market to new entrants until the country joins the EU, according to the Commission, represents a departure from the objective of the EU legislation and the Transport Community Agreement.

– Implementation of the amended legislation on railway safety and interoperability is required. The preparations for strengthening the operational capacity of the Railway Safety Directorate are delayed. There is still no progress in establishing an accident investigation body. The agreement on cross-border railway cooperation with Greece has not yet been concluded, the EC points out.

In the field of aviation, it is stated that the country has maintained a good level of compliance with EU law and has partially complied with aviation security legislation. During the reporting period, the Report states, it was evaluated whether the country should be admitted to the next phase of the Agreement on Common European Aviation (ECAA). Further efforts are still needed to facilitate the standardization inspections of the European Aviation Safety Agency. The independent functioning of the air navigation service provider should be maintained.

The European Commission assesses that progress has been made in terms of multimodal transport and that technical experts are still working on setting up a multimodal node near Skopje. Also, that the country has not yet harmonized the national legislation with the EU law on electronic information for freight transport, as well as the section on the rights of passengers in railways.

The EC also refers to our participation in trans-European networks (TENs) promoted by the EU in the fields of transport, telecommunications and energy.

– On the transport networks, most of the road network is not compliant with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) regulation, as Corridor 10 is more advanced in this respect than Corridor 8. The National Transport Strategy 2018-2030 is compliant with TEN-T development but no action plan. Inefficient handling such as the action plan for the strategy and slow implementation, such as for the works along the Corridor 10-e hinder the development of this sector. The country is currently implementing more than 10 projects on the TEN-T road network. The funds intended for the maintenance of the road infrastructure do not cover the needs. There is limited interest in developing plans for sustainable urban mobility, although IPA funds are available for relevant projects, the report said.

In April 2024, it is indicated, the ratification of the high-level agreement between North Macedonia and the European Union on indicative maps of the trans-European transport network in North Macedonia was made in accordance with the agreement on indicative maps for TEN-T in the Western Balkans signed in May 2023. year. Corridor 8 will be part of the new Western Balkans – Eastern Mediterranean European transport corridor, which will connect Southeast Europe with the center of Europe through the Western Balkans region.

The EC states that the works on the railway Corridor 8 towards Bulgaria are progressing, but also that the third phase of the project, from Kriva Palanka to the border with Bulgaria, has been stopped by the national authorities.

The Report emphasizes that continued additional efforts are needed to accelerate progress on rail Corridor 8 and other priority parts of the core network for both rail and road.

-More efforts are needed from both sides to finalize the mutual agreement with Greece for the establishment of the railway border crossing Kremenica-Neos Kafkassos with the already built operational railway infrastructure. Funding for the construction of appropriate infrastructure at the Tabanovce railway border station has not yet been fully secured. Five-year plans for the maintenance of roads and railways have not yet been adopted, the Report states.