Balkan truckers protest Schengen stay limits for professional drivers

Transporters in Western Balkan countries demand solution ahead of Brussels meeting

Truck and freight transporters in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia protested Monday against restrictions on the length of stay for professional drivers in the Schengen area, according to local media reports. Protests took place outside EU delegations in Sarajevo, Belgrade, Podgorica and Skopje ahead of a Sept. 1 meeting in Brussels expected to discuss the issue. The transporters are seeking a solution to the 90/180-day rule, under which citizens of non-EU countries can stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period. Transporters say the rule creates difficulties for professional drivers who regularly enter the Schengen area for work. In Sarajevo, transporters gathered near the Bosnian parliament before marching to the EU delegation. Nikola Brkovic of the Logistics Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina said protesters wanted drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region to be treated differently from tourists and migrants because they enter the Schengen area for work. In Belgrade, transporters gathered outside the EU delegation and submitted a letter calling for the restrictions to be addressed. Dusan Nikolic of Serbia’s International Transport Association said further protests could be held at border crossings on Sept. 14 if no solution is reached. In Podgorica, Transporters Association President Dordije Ljesnjak said the protest was intended to draw attention to the issue ahead of discussions among Schengen countries. “This is not a protest against the EU, but a protest for a solution, for the right of professional drivers to work and for the survival of Montenegrin transport companies,” Ljesnjak said. In Skopje, transporters organized by the Makam-Trans association protested outside the EU delegation. Makam-Trans Secretary General Biljana Muratovska said transporters had been waiting for a solution for seven months and called for the issue to be included on the agenda of the Brussels meeting. North Macedonia’s Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikolloski said the government was working on bilateral agreements with Schengen countries to address the issue. He said agreements had already been reached with Switzerland, Croatia and Romania, while talks were planned with Austria, Slovenia and Germany. Transporters from the four countries have warned that further protests could be held at EU border crossings on Sept. 14 if no solution is reached at the Brussels meeting. The issue has been under discussion since Western Balkan transporters protested in January over enforcement of Schengen stay rules. The European Commission subsequently said it would address concerns raised by professional drivers.