President of the International Transport of Serbia business association, Neđo Mandić, said on Monday that European Union (EU) rejected all proposals professional truck drivers in the international freight transport of the Western Balkans.
The carriers proposed to find at least a temporary solution for their limited stay in 29 countries Schengen Agreement.
Drivers have been told to adhere to the existing rule of a maximum of 90 days of stay in the EU in a period of six months (EES 90/180).
"All our proposals were rejected, with the statement that they are 'imaginative'. This means that they have no intention of changing anything in the EES system," Mandic told the Beta agency.
He added that the EU representatives have scheduled a new meeting in two weeks, but that the drivers' associations are not clear about what they will discuss when all the proposals were rejected, and the EU itself did not have another, which would be more flexible compared to the existing EES.
What does the EES foresee?
That system provides for truck drivers from countries Western Balkans electronic control of entry and exit from the countries of the Schengen agreement and the longest stay of 90 days in a period of six months. Before the introduction of that system, the length of stay was "measured" by counting stamps in passports, so control was not so strict.
With that rule, drivers' working hours have been cut in half, and transport companies cannot find additional ones because this occupation is in short supply throughout Europe. In addition, they say that they would not be able to pay for the increased number of part-time drivers.
Mandic said that on Sunday from the Svilaj border crossing, in between Of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, ten drivers were returned because they overstayed their stay of 90 days.
He pointed out that the drivers' associations will Of Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina agree on what to do next and when a new protest will be scheduled. He said that Albania also has problems and that for now it is not known whether they will participate in the protest or just provide support.
According to Dušan Nikolić, the owner of Unitrag Pižon, the protest could be held after the announced meeting "in order to give a chance to European companies operating in Serbia to influence the EC".
Nikolić said that the associations of the countries of the Western Balkans proposed that as a temporary solution, until a permanent solution is found, by introducing special visas for professional drivers, drivers who return within 15 days, after the allowed period of stay has expired, should not be arrested.
Trial period until April 10th
At the beginning of October last year, the EU introduced an electronic system for registering the entry and exit of professional drivers from the countries of the Western Balkans into the Schengen area, and the trial period will last until April 10 this year, when the EES will be applied consistently.
Meanwhile, while the trial period lasts, dozens of drivers were arrested, trucks with goods were kept unsecured, and drivers were deported to their countries of origin.
This is why the countries of the Western Balkans protested for four days at the end of January, blocking the cargo border crossings, which were stopped after the EU offered to talk about finding a solution to that problem.
Source: Beta
