Bosnian, Serbian hauliers persist with border blockades while neighbors withdraw

The "Logistika" Consortium from BiH will request an urgent meeting with entity prime ministers and the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Borjana Kristo, according to Beta. Currently, there is no information from Serbian hauliers regarding their specific plan.

In contrast, carriers from North Macedonia and Montenegro previously announced they would no longer block sections of border crossings for freight traffic. The Association of Carriers of Montenegro suspended its blockades at noon on Thursday after reaching an agreement with the Government in Podgorica concerning their demands.

The North Macedonian association "Makam-Trans" also abandoned the strike. According to an official statement from the Minister of Transport, Aleksandar Nikoloski, the European Commission decided to introduce a new visa strategy to resolve the issue for professional Western Balkan drivers regarding the 90-day stay limit within a 180-day period in the Schengen zone.

This new EU visa strategy, presented by the EC, aims to assist Western Balkan carriers as the European Union seeks to "enable more flexible rules for cross-border workers."

Truck drivers from North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina began blocking border crossings at noon on Monday, January 26. They argue that the new Entry/Exit System (EES) for the Schengen zone discriminates against them compared to carriers from the EU.