serbianmonitor.com<https://www.serbianmonitor.com/en/transport-companies-to-block-border-crossings-in-protest/> Transport companies to block border crossings in protest 7–8 minutes ________________________________
Because of the new EES system, which limits the stay of professional drivers in the Schengen area under the 90/180-day rule, drivers’ associations from the Western Balkans have announced a blockade of border crossings on 26 January, warning that the problem could endanger entire supply chains and the region’s economy. Associations of professional drivers from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia have announced a blockade of border crossings with neighbouring Schengen countries on 26 January, due to the problems caused by the new EES entry and exit system for European countries. This system registers nationals from non-EU countries travelling for short stays each time they cross the external borders of any of the European countries. The system allows a short stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period. As explained by drivers’ associations, they are going to stage the protest because of the inadequate response of the European Commission and Schengen countries regarding the treatment of professional drivers from this region and the restriction of their stay in those countries during everyday work activities. At today’s press conference, they said that they began alerting the public and announcing protests immediately, due to the danger of losing an already scarce workforce in this sector. According to their announcements, this problem will not only affect professional drivers, but also the entire domestic economy, and consequently the population. However, as they pointed out, companies already do not have a sufficient number of drivers and trucks are standing idle in car parks, and this problem is growing with the announcement of this system, as drivers fear what will happen. Out of that fear, many are already leaving the profession or announcing that they will do so, adding that the closer the date approaches, the fewer drivers there will be. They also stated that if their drivers do not carry out these transports, supply chains will be jeopardized not only in the Western Balkans, but also in Europe. Neđo Mandić from the Serbian Transport Association pointed out that road transport as an activity in Western Balkan countries has many problems, but that today they are talking about an issue that has not yet escalated, although its consequences could be “catastrophic for the population of our countries”. When the introduction of the EES system was announced, he explained, controls became more frequent, while those responsible did not lift a finger. “We announced the protest in order to prevent a total collapse,” Mandić emphasised. However, he added that if the officials in Europe take this opportunity for dialogue seriously, the protest will probably not take place. “We are asking for very little, just for a problem that is easily solvable to be resolved,” he said. Mandić warned that the Schengen Agreement has become its own opposite, as its original idea was to facilitate the flow of goods and capital. “We believe it is time to supplement the Schengen Agreement, so that new, acceptable solutions can be reached more easily. We are calling for a meeting with experts from the European Commission to be scheduled as early as tomorrow, and for a solution to be found by the end of March,” he said. According to him, drivers should be treated as cross-border workers, not as migrants. “A professional driver is not a migrant, nor someone who enters the Schengen area to work illegally,” Mandić stressed. He reminded that there is no right to prevent a driver from doing his job if he has valid personal documents, if he is driving a truck belonging to an employer who has registered him as a professional driver, if he has permits from the Ministry of Transport agreed on a bilateral basis with all countries, if he has valid documentation for the vehicle and the goods he is transporting, and if he has not previously been banned from entering the Schengen area. “We support the intention to prevent illegal work, but our drivers work legally. Their stay in the Schengen area lasts only as long as it takes to complete the required task,” he explained. In his view, the problem is artificial and arose due to the inactivity of the Brussels administration, to which this appeal and the protests are addressed. “The essence of the problem is that drivers can stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 15 days per month, with the day of entry counted as the first day of stay and the day of return as the last. If you enter or exit at midnight and ten minutes, it counts as a full day. If you do that several times, you already lose five or six days. That leaves a maximum of 10 working days, and working 10 out of 30 days has no economic viability,” he warned. Mandić added that drivers are sometimes caught by the weekend, during which they must remain there for two days due to driving bans. He explained that the more kilometres a haulier covers, the higher the revenue. “When border queues are added to that, we can cover only 7,000 or 8,000 kilometres, while drivers in the EU can do 15,000 kilometres, meaning twice as much,” he stated. However, the victims of this situation are not only the drivers, he added. “The consequences will be borne by the economy, because products must be transported to customers in the Schengen area, or raw materials must be delivered from that area. The population, accustomed to certain products, will also suffer, because some products will not be available or will be available in smaller quantities and will therefore be more expensive,” Mandić warned. He also noted that if drivers from this region do not do the job, no one will drive under the conditions under which they operate. “Our drivers often have to wait at borders sometimes up to 72 hours. A carrier from Western Europe has no borders to wait at and simply drives,” he explained. He added that there are around 30,000 drivers in Serbia alone, and that the number is much higher across the region. Regarding cooperation with the state in resolving this issue, Mandić said they have good cooperation with the Prime Minister’s cabinet. Meetings have been held to resolve internal issues and the problem has also been discussed. He reminded that Serbia is not part of the Schengen area and that therefore, no one in the country can guarantee them anything, but that they have received support and that state officials have spoken publicly about the issue. Đorđije Lješnjak from the Montenegrin Transport Association accused the EU of acting with a hidden agenda. “We believe this is a cunning intention by the EU to acquire the highest-quality workforce and take all our drivers, forcing us to relocate our companies to the EU,” he pointed out. (eKapija, 17.01.2026) https://www.ekapija.com/news/5415410/prevoznici-najavili-blokadu-granicnih-prelaza-novi-ees-sistem-eu-bi-mogao-da -- http:www.antic.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SERBIAN NEWS NETWORK" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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