Truck drivers from Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro say they are preparing a new round of cargo border blockades, after what they describe as unsuccessful talks with the European Union on easing Schengen stay limits for non-EU drivers. Local media across the region reported on 16 February that haulage associations are now coordinating their next steps, with protests expected unless a workable solution emerges.
Serbian public broadcaster RTS quoted Neđo Mandić, presented as a representative of Serbian international road hauliers, as saying that all proposals put forward by the associations were rejected and that the EU side’s message was essentially to “fit into the 90/180 rule”. RTS added that hauliers are coordinating with counterparts in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia before confirming the timing and format of any new action.
Mandić also said that 10 drivers were refused entry at the Svilaj crossing (BiH–Croatia) after exceeding the 90-day allowance.
At the centre of the dispute is the Schengen short-stay rule for third-country nationals: a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. Western Balkans hauliers say that for international drivers rotating through multiple EU countries, the limit makes regular EU work patterns unmanageable—especially as enforcement becomes stricter and more consistent.
EU: “Stick to the rules”!
Brussels’ message in the talks was: no formal exemption from the Schengen 90/180 rule. Local reporting says the EU rejected the industry’s proposals for a special driver regime and instead pointed to existing legal pathways, such as visa or residence options issued by member states.
However, the Commission has not ended the dialogue. After the late-January blockades, it said it was working with the Western Balkans on possible transitional arrangements to prevent supply-chain disruption, even though hauliers argue those steps do not yet amount to a workable solution.
UK operators are warning about the same enforcement shock. Via a formal letter
This is not only a Western Balkans issue. In a letter sent on 12 February to Maroš Šefčovič, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, a coalition of UK transport and logistics organisations urged the European Commission to seek short-term measures as EES becomes fully operational on 10 April.
In the letter, the UK bodies asked Brussels to:
- suspend fines or punishments for exceeding the 90/180 limit for at least two years,
- apply light-touch enforcement during disruption and peak periods to keep traffic moving,
- support off-site biometric pre-registration (for example via an app) to reduce border processing time,
- and, longer term, pursue a professional drivers’ exemption.
