Kosovo-North Macedonia joint border crossing inaugurated today

2025-04-12 10:07:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The acting government of Kosovo and the government of North Macedonia will inaugurate the joint border crossing "Hani i Elezit - Bllacë" today.

The ceremony will be held from 11:00 within the territory of North Macedonia.

During this ceremony, there may be a slowdown in traffic at this border point, the National Center for Border Management announced yesterday.

"On this occasion, all citizens planning to use this border crossing are hereby notified that from 10:00 to 12:00, there will be a traffic slowdown," the announcement said.

The Minister of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia, Pance Toshkovski, announced in February that in April this year, the joint border control system, known as the "One Stop Shop", will begin operating at the Blace point, which connects North Macedonia with Kosovo.

According to Toshkovski, this system will simplify border procedures, allowing citizens of both countries to be checked by a single customs officer, reducing "waiting time and facilitating border crossing between the two states."

"Within the framework of a common 'cloud' platform, data is shared between the two relevant ministries, in order to enable the entry of Kosovo citizens into North Macedonia and vice versa, only through a determination by a police officer," Toshkovski had said, as reported by REL.

He had given April as the last month when this would be officially put into operation.

The minister made these statements during a visit to the Bllaca border crossing, together with the First Deputy Prime Minister, Izet Mexhiti, and his counterpart from Kosovo, the current acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla.

Sweden had said that this would reduce the time for citizens crossing the border.

"For the citizens of both countries, it is very important that the transition is as fast as possible. For the state bodies, it is for them to be as safe as possible. Of course, we are using the latest technological advances to reduce bureaucracy, but not at the expense of security, but for the benefit of citizens' time."

The border crossing at Blace has recently been plagued by long lines on both sides of the border. The process for establishing joint border crossings began in June 2024./ CNA