Freight transport operators from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to block cargo border terminals for the fifth consecutive day, while transport operators in Montenegro and North Macedonia have suspended their blockades after the European Commission published a new visa strategy expected to address restrictions on the stay of professional drivers in the Schengen Area, TV21 reports.
On Tuesday, February 3, a meeting will be held between ministers from all Western Balkan countries and representatives of the European Commission to discuss the problems faced by transport operators from the region in the Schengen zone. This was confirmed last night by the Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luigi Soreca, who informed the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto.
They discussed by phone the disruption of uninterrupted goods circulation and the functioning of international transport, caused by blockades at cargo border terminals leading to EU countries.
The new EU visa strategy, presented by the European Commission, is expected to help transport operators from the Western Balkans, as the EU aims to introduce more flexible rules for cross-border workers.
Truck drivers from North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina began blocking border crossings on Monday, January 26, claiming that the new Entry/Exit System (EES) in the Schengen Area discriminates against transport operators from non-EU countries.
