New regulations under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), limiting the time non-EU drivers can stay in the Schengen Area to 90 days within a 180-day period, have triggered mass protests across the region. Drivers from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia blocked border crossings with Croatia, Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania.
On 29 January, drivers from Montenegro and North Macedonia ended their blockades after talks with their governments and representatives of the European Commission.
As part of the newly presented visa strategy, the European Commission provides for the possibility of more flexible treatment of professional drivers, so that days spent in Schengen are not counted in such a strict manner. The proposal includes a special so-called extended short-stay scheme, intended to reflect the nature of cross-border drivers’ work.
In Montenegro, the agreement included, among other things, accelerating VAT refunds and extending the working hours of phytosanitary inspectors, as well as ensuring a 72-hour transit period for imported goods. The issue of fuel excise duty has not yet been resolved, but the parties assured that all key topics will be discussed with EU partners.
Montenegro’s President Jakov Milatović, in a letter to the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, stressed the need to find practical solutions within the existing Schengen legal framework that would be fair to all stakeholders and support the region’s economic integration with the European Union.
For background, see our earlier coverage: Balkan truck drivers block EU borders over 90/180 rule and EES
Multi-million losses caused by the blockades
The blockades began on 26 January 2026 and were a response to the new EES rules, which limit time spent in Schengen and, according to transport associations, make it impossible to carry out international road freight transport.
Carriers point out that the system counts every day spent in the Schengen Area, which in practice restricts the ability of professional drivers—who regularly cross borders—to work.
According to the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, daily losses caused by the blockades amounted to around €100 million. Marko Cadez, the chamber’s president, noted that 93% of exports from four countries in the region were halted, and that companies operating in the Western Balkans or exporting to the region are incurring additional costs of between €10,000 and €50,000 per day due to delays and penalties for services not performed.
Some blockades continue – losses and risks to supply chains
However, the protests are not over. Despite the partial end to the protests in Montenegro and North Macedonia, drivers from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue the blockades. In places such as the Batrovci border crossing on the Serbian–Croatian border, several-kilometre-long lines of trucks are completely preventing freight traffic.
However, data released by the Hungarian police at 9:00 a.m. on 30 January 2026 show that waiting times for trucks at the Röszke and Tompa border crossings with Serbia remain below 15 minutes.
Experts warn that further disruption to transport could lead to serious supply interruptions to Turkey and the Middle East, as well as increased operating costs for European companies active in the region.
Trade unions are calling on national authorities to keep up pressure on the EU to adapt the EES rules to the realities of professional drivers’ work, arguing that the lack of changes adds hundreds of millions of euros in costs to the transport industry in the region.
