After several meetings of the technical working group with representatives of the European Commission, at which all proposals to amend the existing regime for professional drivers from the Western Balkans were rejected, the Board of Directors of the Business Association International Transport has scheduled a new protest for 14 April.
“Given that the technical working group has already met twice, that full implementation of the EES system begins on 10 April, and that our drivers are already facing arrests and deportations while there has been no concrete progress, we have decided to hold a protest on 14 April, after both the Catholic and Orthodox Easter. We need time to prepare properly, because this time the protest will probably last longer,” Aleksandar Spasić, Secretary General of the Business Association International Transport, told Biznis.rs.
It should be recalled that transport operators from the Western Balkans blocked freight border crossings from 26 to 30 January, demanding that a systemic solution be found for the stay of professional drivers in the Schengen area, which currently allows a maximum of 90 days within 180 days.
The long-standing problem in international transport escalated with the beginning of the implementation of the Entry-Exit System (EES), which introduced automated entry and exit checks at EU border crossings. As a result, drivers who had previously often been informally tolerated when exceeding the maximum number of days in Schengen countries have started to be arrested and deported.
Aleksandar Spasić points out that only representatives of Croatia and its Ministry of the Interior have come forward with a proposal that could represent a long-term solution.
Specifically, they proposed issuing special visas for professional drivers from the Western Balkans. For this to happen, Croatia would need to amend its Foreigners Act and allow the issuance of long-term type D visas to drivers even if they are not employed by Croatian companies or resident in Croatia.
“That is still a distant prospect, but while the European Commission has been directing us all the time to obtain such visas in EU member states, Croatia is the only country that has come forward with a proposal to amend its Foreigners Act and with a willingness to design a solution that would allow them to issue such visas to us while we continue driving our own trucks,” Spasić explains.
However, as he emphasises, this is only a proposed amendment to the law that still needs to be adopted, and even in the best-case scenario its implementation could only begin towards the end of the year. Therefore, the question remains what will happen to the drivers until the issue is resolved. In theory, if a driver obtains a visa from any EU member state, he is not entered into the EES system, which means the problem could at least be resolved through one country.
Nevertheless, Spasić points out that thousands of drivers from Western Balkan countries would submit applications to Croatian embassies, which would represent a huge challenge for a single country.
He adds that for the period until the potential adoption of that solution, there has been no response from Brussels.
“The only response we receive is that some member states do not agree with any kind of concessions. The EU Ambassador to Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath, stated that all proposals from Western Balkan countries were rejected because they require amendments to EU legislation, which is a lengthy process. The only solution they see is a model similar to Croatia’s – meaning that other countries should recognise the good practice and offer the issuance of similar visas,” Spasić explains.
(Biznis.rs, 04.03.2026)
https://biznis.rs/vesti/srbija/novi-protest-srpskih-prevoznika-14-aprila/