EU Expected to Start ETIAS System Change

In 2023, the EU is expected to start to change the ETIAS system, according to which passengers that will want to enter the EU will first have to confirm their identity online, send a travel document copy, and answer a series of questions. Additionally, entering the EU would cost seven euros for all passengers aged 18-70. Unlike the current model, where citizens of North Macedonia are able to travel freely in the EU, ETIAS foresees first getting an answer from the country that’s a desired destination, which may be negative too. An ETIAS confirmation that’s received once would be valid for three years. The system concerns around 60 countries that have a visa-free regime with the EU, North Macedonia included. the measure is seen as a way to limit migration in Western Europe. Commenting on the matter, Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Maricic says he, together with European affairs ministers from the Western Balkans, would request for a delay the decision to implement the system. In his view, it’s possible for the European Commission to accept that. “The Western Balkans have done a lot for the EU. I think this decision should at the very least by delayed,” he notes.