se times
24/11/2010
Kosovo and Macedonia are taking steps to tame a largely unregulated market.
By Muhamet Brajshori in Pristina and Misko Taleski in Skopje -- 24/11/10
Kosovo and Macedonia are taking steps to tame a largely unregulated market.
By Muhamet Brajshori in Pristina and Misko Taleski in Skopje -- 24/11/10
Passenger transportation should be regulated through issuing licenses, a joint Kosovo-Macedonia commission on international road transport agreed recently. Such a move, officials say, will help make bus transport safer, more professional and more reliable.
Representatives of the two countries' transportation ministries have signed a protocol establishing the criteria companies must meet in order to receive a license. An estimated 150 licenses will be granted by 2011, each good for a period of five years.
"The protocol will fulfill the standards assigned by the EU, and with it we will also practically implement the Law of [passengers and goods] road transportation," Macedonian Transport Ministry spokesman Dragan Simonovski said.
He said the protocol will help standardise the industry, obliging carriers to respect regulations and removing illegal competitors from the market.
Likewise, Kosovo Transport Minister Fatmir Limaj said it will "introduce comfortable conditions for passengers, while safety is a priority".
Some carriers, however, say they were not granted a significant enough role in framing the protocol.
Speaking to SETimes, Jakup Berisha of the Kosovo Association of Transporters said the decision making process "should have included more of the opinions of the carriers in both countries, and also respected their interests".
But customers appear satisfied. "This sphere should have been regulated long ago, and it is positive that the authorities in Skopje and Pristina achieved an agreement. It is better to have a document to guide us rather than work individually, illegally, and then pay fines," Skopje resident Jeton Idrizi, 39, told SETimes.
Representatives of the two countries' transportation ministries have signed a protocol establishing the criteria companies must meet in order to receive a license. An estimated 150 licenses will be granted by 2011, each good for a period of five years.
"The protocol will fulfill the standards assigned by the EU, and with it we will also practically implement the Law of [passengers and goods] road transportation," Macedonian Transport Ministry spokesman Dragan Simonovski said.
He said the protocol will help standardise the industry, obliging carriers to respect regulations and removing illegal competitors from the market.
Likewise, Kosovo Transport Minister Fatmir Limaj said it will "introduce comfortable conditions for passengers, while safety is a priority".
Some carriers, however, say they were not granted a significant enough role in framing the protocol.
Speaking to SETimes, Jakup Berisha of the Kosovo Association of Transporters said the decision making process "should have included more of the opinions of the carriers in both countries, and also respected their interests".
But customers appear satisfied. "This sphere should have been regulated long ago, and it is positive that the authorities in Skopje and Pristina achieved an agreement. It is better to have a document to guide us rather than work individually, illegally, and then pay fines," Skopje resident Jeton Idrizi, 39, told SETimes.
Commenting on the comfort and quality of the transport conditions at present, passenger Huseyin Silman told SETimes that apart from road work, conditions are not that bad.
"The road between both countries can be improved to the level of a motorway so the road safety issues can be ensured. ... The buses are good, but there can be improvements, newer buses with improved comfort, even though current ones are not intolerable," Silman said.
The signing of the protocol was preceded by a Macedonia-Slovenia transportation commission meeting -- also relevant for Kosovo -- which resulted in agreeing to liberalise the transportation between the two countries and agreeing to issue 200 licenses from and to third countries that are valid in both directions.
Macedonian transport ministry officials said a similar agreement is expected with the Czech Republic by the end of the year.
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.
"The road between both countries can be improved to the level of a motorway so the road safety issues can be ensured. ... The buses are good, but there can be improvements, newer buses with improved comfort, even though current ones are not intolerable," Silman said.
The signing of the protocol was preceded by a Macedonia-Slovenia transportation commission meeting -- also relevant for Kosovo -- which resulted in agreeing to liberalise the transportation between the two countries and agreeing to issue 200 licenses from and to third countries that are valid in both directions.
Macedonian transport ministry officials said a similar agreement is expected with the Czech Republic by the end of the year.
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.
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