Baush: Postponement of Trump’s tariffs is an opportunity for North Macedonia to improve trade relations with the US

Economic analyst from Skopje Abil Baush told Kosovo Online that the 90-day postponement of the US decision on reciprocal tariffs for most American trade partners, including North Macedonia, gives the country additional space for export flexibility and a chance to improve trade relations with the United States.

"This pause can be used to position Macedonian companies in supply chains that are seeking alternatives outside of countries with higher tariffs," Baush said.

According to the decision made by US President Donald Trump on April 2, import tariffs from North Macedonia were set to be 33 percent. With those tariffs, Baush believes, the technological-industrial development zones would be affected.

"The US is not among the top ten countries we export to, which means we will not face a direct economic crisis in the country, but there will be indirect impacts on our economy because we have a partnership with EU countries, especially Germany, which will be directly affected by US and President Trump’s tariffs," Baush assessed.

In the region, he believes the initially planned tariffs would particularly affect countries that export directly to the US, especially Serbia. He also said that the tariffs, as determined on April 2, would likely impact the automotive, construction, IT, and food industries.

"The automotive industry will be hit, we will feel it in our country, since we have facilities that produce automotive parts, the construction industry, steel..." Baush said.