The Association of International Freight Forwarders of Montenegro announces that further road blockades near border crossings may take place within the next two weeks. The decision is a response to the position of a European Commission working group, which rejected the Western Balkan Hauliers’ demands to exempt them from the new rules applicable in the Schengen area.
Border blockades as early as March
According to information provided to the daily “Vijesti”, the transport industry is considering holding a protest on 12 or 13 March. The date is to be agreed with transport organisations from other countries in the region.
Earlier, decisive action was also announced by hauliers from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The transport association Logistika BiH announced that on 12 March it will block all border crossings in the country if the issue of the rules governing drivers’ stays in the European Union is not resolved by 10 March.
In Montenegro, the planned blockades would cover:
- borders with the European Union – Debeli Brijeg and the port of Luka Bar, in connection with maintaining the ETIAS rules,
- other borders with countries in the region, because – as hauliers claim – the government has not implemented the arrangements from previous protests.
Dispute over drivers’ status in the ETIAS system
The new ETIAS regulations are set to enter into force in mid-April 2026. Under them, road transport drivers from non-EU countries will not be treated as transport crew – unlike air or maritime transport employees.
In practice, this means they will be subject to the rules applicable to tourists, i.e. a maximum stay of 90 days within 180 days in the territory of the European Union.
According to the Western Balkans transport industry, such regulations could drastically limit the operations of companies from the region.
In practice, drivers would be able to carry out transport in the EU for only around ten days a month, which – according to hauliers – would mean losing competitiveness to companies from member states.
Industry representatives have been pointing to this problem for years. Talks with the EU working group began only after the January protests, during which hauliers blocked border crossings in the region.
The European Commission rejected the industry’s demands
At the end of February, a European Commission working group rejected the Hauliers’ proposal, which assumed granting Western Balkan drivers the status of transport crew.
Representatives of the member states stated that the demands were “impossible to meet, too creative and contrary to Schengen law”.
As an alternative, it was proposed that transport companies from the region set up companies in European Union countries and that drivers register their place of residence there.
However, hauliers rejected this proposal, arguing that administrative procedures could take months, and in the meantime the companies would lose the ability to carry out transport.
“This is a protest for survival”
Transport organisations from the region emphasise that the planned blockades are not political in nature.
“This decision is not political. It is an existential issue” – the Logistika BiH consortium stressed in a statement.
Hauliers are calling, among other things, for:
- a moratorium on the restrictive enforcement of the rules governing drivers’ stays in the EU,
- developing a special status for professional international transport drivers,
- a firm response from the governments of the region’s countries towards European Union institutions,
- introducing temporary financial support mechanisms for transport companies affected by the restrictions.
According to industry organisations, the protests are aimed at protecting jobs and supporting thousands of families who depend on the transport sector for their livelihood.
Risk of supply disruptions
Montenegro is among the countries heavily dependent on imports. Therefore, a prolonged blockade of borders and road transport could lead to serious disruptions in supplies of food and petroleum products.
All indications are that if talks with the European Union do not bring a quick breakthrough, the Western Balkans region will once again become the scene of coordinated transport protests, which could have a tangible impact on trade and logistics in this part of Europe.
