Belgrade,, 19 January 2026, dtt-net.com – The government of Serbia today handed over a list of requests to the EU seeking to facilitate the work amid difficulties facing because of visa rules of the EU during their daily import-export of merchandise from and to the EU countries. Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut today handed over the request to the head of EU office in Belgrade, a week ahead of announced massive strike of transport companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
“Macut said that since the introduction of the electronic border control system, this problem has escalated and threatens to completely paralyze the work of the transport community of Serbia, as well as other economies of the Western Balkans,” his office said after the meeting with Andreas von Beckerath.
“He stated that this restriction puts professional drivers in international road transport in a position where they are only allowed to carry out passenger and goods transportation for six months of the year, which, as he pointed out, is economically unsustainable for employers and makes this profession unprofitable. The Prime Minister underlined that this also represents a threat to the transport community of Serbia, which can practically be extinguished in this way,” reads the release.
“The proposals are the amendment of the 90/180 rule for professional drivers and the special status of the region within the Entry and Exit System (EES),” it added, without details of the requests.
Truck drivers of Western Balkans have not specific treatment over the duration of their stay in the EU territory. Same as tourists, they have 90 days right of stay in the EU for a six-month period.
In September last year, BiH government has also addressed the issue to the European Commission, but it had no positive answer from the EU executive body.
At that time, Bosnian truck drivers asked their duration of presence in EU territory be calculated by hours of work, a decision which is not in the power of the European Commission but by member states.
The call of Bosnian government came after Bosnian truck drivers went in a three-day strike at border crossings with Croatia because of difficulties with EU visa rules but also of their working conditions, including taxes and procedures.
As no solution is found so far, associations of truck drivers from the four Western Balkans countries announced a massive strike at border crossing with neighbouring EU countries for January 26.
