The European Commission she said that for the time being she will not change the rules on staying in Schengen area, although he admits that professional truck drivers and other categories of workers, due to the nature of their work, have a problem with the limitation of 90 days of stay in a period of 180 days.
Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said that in Brussels they are aware that truck drivers are among the affected categories, as well as other professionals who travel often, such as athletes and artists, RTS reported.
The Commission sees bilateral agreements between the countries of the Western Balkans and individual EU members as a possible solution. Such arrangements could allow the issuance of long-term visas or residence permits, while in certain cases drivers could be treated as cross-border workers.
Lammert pointed out that the issue is not simple because part of the solutions are within the jurisdiction of the member states and depend on their national regulations and existing agreements.
EES does not change the 90/180 rule
In particular, the European Commission has rejected claims that the new Entry and Exit System (EES) introduces additional restrictions on staying in Schengen.
According to the Commission's explanation, the rule according to which citizens of countries with a visa-free regime can stay for a maximum of 90 days in any period of 180 days existed before. EES only enables more precise electronic recording of entries, exits and duration of stay.
The Commission states that it is ready to discuss the problems of professional drivers with partners from the Western Balkans, but for now there is no announcement of a change in the existing rules.
Her announcement followed a protest by several hundred truckers in Belgrade, Sarajevo, Podgorica and Skopje. Carriers are asking for rules to be introduced for professional drivers that would take into account the specificity of their work and allow them to stay longer than 90 days in 180 days.
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