The protests, ongoing since yesterday, are a response to the increasingly strict enforcement of the rule allowing 90 days’ stay within any 180-day period, as well as the rollout of the electronic Entry/Exit System (EES). Drivers and transport companies warn that the new reality treats them like tourists rather than workers, leading to deportations, detentions and real financial losses.
Where has transport come to a standstill? Key border crossings and terminals under blockade
The blockades have simultaneously affected several Western Balkan countries. In North Macedonia, ten border crossings were paralysed, including the largest ones at the interface with the European Union. In Gevgelija, a key crossing between Greece and North Macedonia, around 100 trucks blocked the cargo terminal.
At the same time, protests broke out in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. In Serbia, 15 border crossings with Croatia were blocked, and the lines of trucks stretched to around a kilometre. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, trucks stopped at crossings leading to Croatia, while in Montenegro the blockade also covered the Port of Bar on the Adriatic, an important logistics hub for the region.
According to the organisers, the protests involve up to 75,000 trucks from North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. Passenger traffic is moving without major disruption, and shipments of medicines, animals, emergency services, military transports, as well as dangerous goods are being allowed through.
Previously on the protest: Trucks to block multiple EU borders from Monday over Schengen stay rule
The 90/180 rule and EES: drivers speak of unequal treatment
At the heart of the conflict is the rule allowing 90 days’ stay within any 180-day period in the Schengen Area, which—together with the new EES system—has begun to be enforced far more rigorously. The electronic Entry/Exit System, being rolled out in stages from 12 October 2025, replaces passport stamps with automatic registration. It collects biometric data and independently calculates the permitted length of stay.
For drivers regularly carrying out international transport, this means quickly using up the day limit and being unable to work on fixed routes for long periods. In the last year alone, more than 100 drivers were deported, and in recent weeks further expulsion decisions have been announced.
This threatens our economy and the economy of the entire Balkans. Drivers could lose their jobs, and transport companies will be forced to close,” said Filip Stojanov, a truck driver from North Macedonia.
Poland at the centre of carriers’ criticism
The protests also feature a Polish angle, important from the perspective of the EU transport market. Representatives of Balkan companies point to Poland as one of the countries where checks are particularly strict.
Poland is one of the countries with the most rigorous system, where drivers are detained and then another driver is sent to take them to their destination, and lawyers are hired to secure the driver’s release. That is why costs are rising. What is happening to drivers is ruthless,” Emilia Arnaudova Hristov told Macedonian news service svobodnaevropa.mk.
According to carriers, such actions generate additional costs, disrupt supply chains, and hit not only Balkan companies but also partners in the European Union.
“We want the right to work, not privileges”
Protesters stress that their demands are not about abolishing border controls, but about recognising the specific nature of professional drivers’ work. They are calling for drivers to be exempt from rules that apply to tourists, or for special visa solutions to be introduced.
We’re sorry it has come to this, but we had no choice. In this protest we are demanding only the right to work—nothing more. We ask for patience, because we were left with no other option,” truck driver Amir Hadzidedic told the Turkish outlet Daily Sabah during the protest at the Svilaj border crossing between Bosnia and Croatia.
Bus drivers take a similar stance, pointing out that detaining a driver means leaving passengers without care for many hours.
Political reactions and warnings for the economy
The European Commission says it is monitoring the situation. EC spokesperson Markus Lammert noted in Brussels that although the 90-day rule is not new, the EU is aware that drivers, athletes or touring artists may need to stay longer.
At national level, pressure is mounting. Serbia’s Prime Minister called for granting regional drivers a special status, warning of the “complete paralysis” of transport companies. In North Macedonia, support for protesters was voiced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski, who pointed to three possible solutions: postponing the rollout of EES, increasing the stay limit to at least 250 days, or introducing special regulations for professional drivers, similar to solutions used in Switzerland.
The Serbian Chamber of Commerce reminds that more than 60% of the region’s trade is with the European Union, and that prolonged blockades threaten contracts, on-time deliveries and supply chain stability—also on the EU partners’ side.
Blace border crossing: North Macedonia’s government openly backs carriers
Support for the protesting carriers was also expressed by the North Macedonian government. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski personally appeared at the Blace border crossing, where the blockade was underway, stressing that the protest is a warning action and a signal directed straight at Schengen Area countries.
I would like to express my support, on behalf of myself and the government, for this protest by carriers, and that is why I am here today at this border crossing, because this protest is a warning. Carriers want to show what will happen from 10 April. This is a warning, and I believe the time has come to use February and March—also for Schengen Area member states—to find a solution,” Nikoloski said.
The minister pointed to three possible scenarios for breaking the deadlock. The first is postponing the implementation of the electronic registration system for carriers. The second is increasing the number of days that professional drivers can spend in the Schengen Area, from the current 180 to 250 days, appropriately divided into cycles. The third solution is treating professional drivers not as tourists, but as professionals, by exempting them from the current rules or using work visas, as is the case in Switzerland.
Nikoloski warned that failure to make changes would have serious consequences not only for the economy of North Macedonia and the entire region, but also for the European economy.
Let us not forget that most foreign investment across the entire region comes from European Union and Schengen Area countries. It is they who mainly produce semi-finished goods here, which are then exported. Let us not forget agricultural products, transit, what Greece produces and what goes north, as well as the main trade corridor of South-Eastern Europe—Corridor 10—which is the bloodstream of the entire economy,” he emphasised.
The Deputy Prime Minister also announced diplomatic action, saying he had already spoken with Greece’s Minister of Transport and in the coming days plans a visit to Zagreb and contacts with other countries to exert additional pressure on this issue.
We have been warning for a year, we have spoken with representatives of the European Commission, but so far they have not listened to us. I think that after this signal they will listen and find a solution so as not to hinder the development of the economy of North Macedonia, the region, and even Europe,” Nikoloski added.
Transport on the verge of collapse
The protests are open-ended and—as organisers announce—will continue until a real solution is found. Carriers warn that further ignoring the problem will lead to drivers leaving the profession and a collapse of the transport sector across the entire region, with consequences felt far beyond the Balkans.
For the European transport market, including Poland, this is another signal that mobility and border control rules are increasingly affecting the real ability to carry out international transport—and that the problem cannot be contained within the borders of a single region.
