Greece moves to ease congestion at Bahçeköy and Evzoni border crossings amid rising traffic
A broad working meeting was convened on Thursday, May 28, 2026, by Deputy Minister of the Interior (Macedonia–Thrace sector), Konstantinos Gioulekas, at the Government Building in Selanik. The session focused on addressing delays affecting both tourist and commercial traffic flows at the key border stations.
The meeting brought together senior officials, including the Secretary-General of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia–Thrace, Dimitris Galamatis, and the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Panagiotis Archontis, along with representatives of relevant agencies and services.
Rising Traffic and EU Border Controls
According to the official statement, the discussion centered on improving coordination among agencies to ensure faster processing of cross-border traffic. Authorities noted that increased passenger and vehicle volumes, combined with EU regulations requiring biometric screening of incoming and outgoing travelers, have contributed to longer waiting times at border control points.
Planned Measures
Officials examined a package of proposed interventions aimed at improving efficiency, including:
- Strengthening IT infrastructure to accelerate border checks
- Enhancing coordination between security and customs services
- Exploring temporary technical and operational solutions to improve traffic flow at border facilities
- Authorities emphasized that the goal is to ensure smoother passage for both tourists and commercial transport while maintaining strict compliance with EU border security standards.
The Bahçeköy–Ipsala crossing (Greece–Türkiye) and Evzoni–Bogorodica crossing (Greece–North Macedonia) are among the most heavily used land border routes in the region, especially during peak tourism and trade seasons.
Officials indicated that further technical assessments will continue, with additional measures expected to be announced following evaluation of operational data.
