Forto: Croatia opens visa applications for professional drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Minister of Communications and Transport Edin Forto welcomed the implementation of the amendments, describing it as an important step forward following months of discussions and warnings about the problems faced by domestic transport companies and professional drivers.

"This is the first concrete step that can make our drivers' work easier. From the beginning, we have said that people who perform their jobs on roads across Europe cannot be treated as migrants or tourists. We expect other European Union countries to follow Croatia's example, because we need a solution that will enable our drivers to carry out their work without obstacles," the minister said.

The issue of residence for professional drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries in the region has become particularly pronounced due to the application of the rule under which third-country nationals may stay in the Schengen Area for no more than 90 days within any 180 days. For professional drivers, for whom crossing borders is an integral part of their job, this restriction poses a serious obstacle to international road transport operations.

In recent months, the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been in intensive communication with European and regional partners on this issue, pointing out that the problem affects not only drivers and transport companies but could also have consequences for trade, exports and supply chains.

Forto has previously stressed that Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot change Schengen rules on its own and that a solution is needed at the European Union level.

"Croatia has shown that there is a way to make progress. We will continue insisting on finding a sustainable solution in other EU countries as well. Our transport companies must be able to operate, and drivers must not be penalized for doing a job that takes them across European borders every day," Forto said.

Technical details for professional drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the visa application procedure will be available later today on the website of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina said.