By Martin Banks

The Roma Foundation for Europe has urged the North Macedonian government to implement a “grace period” for documentation, registrations, and licence compliance linked to the country’s new “Safe City” system.

The initiative, introduced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is said to rely on cameras and sensors to detect traffic violations, with penalties–including vehicle confiscation–issued digitally.

But it has prompted protests by Roma across several cities in North Macedonia who have warned that “enforcement without safeguards” threatens their livelihoods.

A spokesperson for the Foundation told this site, “Many Roma are unable to comply with the new system due to systemic obstacles, including lack of personal documentation, barriers to completing format education, exclusion from formal employment and limited access to affordable licensing and registration processes.”

Roma protesters have staged roadblocks in several locations, including on the main road from Bitola to Prespa, arguing that enforcement measures were introduced “without transition periods or realistic pathways to compliance.”

The Foundation adds, “Many drivers affected had been unable to complete the education required for a driving licence due to structural exclusion confirmed by court rulings, not individual choice.”

Protest organisers have warned that demonstrations will continue “unless authorities engage in dialogue and address underlying barriers created by state policy.”

The Roma Foundation spokesman claims that the protests point to a “broader governance failure.”

The Foundation adds, “While the Safe City system has been framed as a road safety initiative aligned with EU standards, its implementation failed to take into account the realities of communities systematically excluded from documentation, education and formal employment.

“The rapid, automatic issuance of fines, combined with the possibility of immediate vehicle confiscation, places acute financial strain on families who depend on driving to earn a living.”

During the system’s first days of operation, authorities,. says the Foundation, reported more than 100,000 recorded violations.

It goes on, “Yet the system was rolled out without transitional arrangements, structured dialogue with affected communities, or practical administrative support.”

The Roma Foundation for Europe has called on the North Macedonian government to respond constructively by introducing a 90-day grace period for documentation, registration and licence compliance, alongside targeted administrative measures.

Mensur Haliti, Vice President for Democracy and Governance at the Roma Foundation for Europe, said: “Deploying mobile documentation teams to provide emergency support for IDs, birth certificates and residence confirmations in affected municipalities would immediately reduce tensions and enable lawful compliance.”

He added: “Establishing adult education pathways for citizens who were unable to complete primary schooling – a prerequisite for obtaining a driver’s licence – and launching a vehicle registration amnesty with reduced fees would help bring informal vehicles into the legal system, strengthen compliance and increase tax revenue.”

“If there were political will, these protests could end quickly,” Haliti stressed.

“We are outlining practical measures that any government serious about resolving the situation would consider. That requires negotiation, compromise and the unglamorous work of governance. If the government is genuinely interested in a solution – rather than keeping the issue on screen to divert attention from other, more serious crises – it has the tools to act, ” he said.