Balgarianovinite.com Several hundred truck drivers held protests on Monday in Belgrade, Sarajevo, Podgorica and Skopje outside the European Union delegation buildings in those cities over the strict rules governing stays in the Schengen Area. They threatened to stage new border blockades starting September 14, the Serbian service of Radio Free Europe reported.
The protests took place one day before the European Commission meeting scheduled for September 1 in Brussels, where the main topic will be the status of carriers from the Western Balkan countries who are subject to a maximum stay of 90 days within a 180-day period in the Schengen Area.
The truck drivers are seeking a solution to the issue of residence and employment in the European Union. According to them, professional drivers should be granted residence conditions adapted to the specific nature of their work.
The drivers submitted a letter to the EU Delegations in Belgrade, Sarajevo, Podgorica and Skopje, stating that they want to work, rather than simply reside, in the European Union and do not want Brussels to treat them as ordinary tourists by applying the rule limiting stays to 90 days within a 180-day period.
“If nothing else, we ask that the number of days we are allowed to stay in the European Union be increased from 90 to 125 or 130 days. We simply want to work and transport goods through the countries of the European Union,” said Zijad Saric, Chairman of the Management Board of the Logistics Consortium BiH.
Professional drivers say the situation is alarming, citing the example of a Serbian company with 11 drivers, five of whom were turned back at the Schengen border on Monday, regional TV station N1 reported.
Nedjo Mandic, president of the International Transport Business Association of Serbia, added that the drivers had been in Brussels in 2014 and were told that the EU was aware of the problem and that it would be resolved through special visas. He added that they returned to Brussels on January 29 this year and were again told that the EU was aware of the problem and that the visas were expected to be issued.
“Here we are, seven months have passed, and nothing has happened. We cannot wait any longer; our companies will close down. This will be a loss for us and for our economy,” President Mandic stressed.
The drivers therefore warned that they would once again resort to radical measures if no solution is found, and announced a blockade of border crossing points starting September 14, to remain in place until their demands are met.
At the end of January, carriers from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro blocked border crossing points in protest against the restrictions on stays in the Schengen Area. The protests lasted five days and were called off after the European Commission presented its migration strategy on January 29, in which it pledged to examine new rules for extended short-term stays for certain categories of professionals from third countries, including truck drivers.
The rule allowing drivers to spend up to 90 days within any 180-day period in the EU is not new. However, enforcement has been tightened since the new automated information systems for registering and monitoring personal data at the external borders of the Schengen Area came into operation in October 2025, according to media reports.
Truck Drivers Protest in Belgrade, Sarajevo, Podgorica and Skopje over Schengen Stay Rules, Threaten New Blockades from September 14 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-31 15:46:19
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БЪЛГАРИЯ НОВИНИТЕ – ИНФОРМАЦИОННА АГЕНЦИЯ 2009-2026 2026-08-31 15:46:19
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