The United States and North Macedonia have announced an agreement for a “reciprocal, fair and balanced trade”. The US custom rate of 15 % will be maintained for North Macedonia, the same as for the EU. North Macedonia had already reduced the customs rate to zero for US goods
This is also valid for agricultural goods, and the countries commit to discuss barriers to US agricultural products in the Macedonian market. Currently, imports need to comply to rules harmonized with the EU, eg. in the use of preservation methods.
The US will identify products that can receive a zero percent reciprocal tariff rate and for some goods there might be modifications. Macedonian producers for such goods have addressed themselves to the government to have them included into the discussions to receive an individual favorable treatment. The government announced that “63 or 64 products, which are strategic for the country, will be exported to the US with a single-digit tariff from zero to 6.5 percent“.
The joint statement mentions the gas inter-connector from Greece and that “Macedonia will begin the purchase of US LNG liquefied natural gas upon completion”
North Macedonia has committed not to impose a digital service tax and to support adoption of a permanent moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The US has stopped payments to the WTO and is reviewing its membership.
The agreement needs now to be finalized, signed and put into force.
The content follows the current US policy not only to impose tariffs, but also allow selective reductions for specific goods if this seems to be advantageous. In the same time, the US pressures to abolish what they consider unfair trade practices, as product standards which are different from US standards. While EU members can count on the full weight of the US-EU trade which has avoided extreme consequences in the last year, smaller countries have little alternative than to accept the US requests even so they deviate from WTO rules that require equal treatment to all commercial partners.
BMBC has reported in the past about the US – Macedonian trade balance. Key Macedonian export good are buses. Bed-ware, Tobacco and ammunition parts are other important goods, but the total amount of 145 Mio$ makes up only 1,4 % of the Macedonian exports in 2024, the last year before the tariff escalation.
US imports, according to OEC.world, are slightly higher with 192 mio$. Imported goods cover a larger range of products, agricultural products are a very small part with almonds representing the only larger value. The US is the origin of 1,5 % of all imports in 2024.
Bigger than the impact of the US tariffs seems to be for North Macedonia the decline of the world economy caused by the tariff escalation, which reduces the chances for export to the traditional markets.
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