REGIONAL TRANSPORT ORGANISATIONS DEMAND URGENT SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

BIJELJINA, DECEMBER 6 /SRNA/ – Representatives of leading transport organisations from Serbia and BiH jointly called today on local authorities and EU institutions to finally resolve the alarming situation caused by EU driver-stay rules, which they say are making business operations more difficult and threatening the survival of transport companies in the region.

Neđo Mandić, the head of the business association International Transport from Belgrade, said ahead of a meeting in Bijeljina that despite numerous requests from transporters in Serbia and BiH, there has been no progress in resolving the problem faced by Western Balkan transporters, who can work only 15 days per month due to EU rules adopted 40 years ago. He has said that for two years the European Commission has been giving them the same response - that they understand the issue, but that it concerns an old agreement and that nothing will change with the introduction of entry and exit controls at the EU borders. “The fact is that it is an old agreement and that things supposedly should not be different for us - but that’s not true. The agreement was made 40 years ago and hasn’t been changed, but geography has changed. From the original five countries that signed the Schengen Agreement, we now have 27 EU member states that joined, which means our drivers now spend much more time within the Schengen zone,” Mandić explained. As an example, he cited transport from any Western Balkan country to Portugal, noting that earlier only France was in Schengen, while travel through Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, and Portugal did not count as Schengen movement - making what used to be a two-day route now require 14 days inside the Schengen zone. “In half a year, we can practically work only three months, which simply does not meet the needs of the economy, nor of us as transport companies. A particular issue is that while drivers used to be plentiful, today there is a shortage throughout Europe,” Mandić said. He has warned that this problem is already jeopardizing the overall functioning of the supply system. Mandić notes that Serbia has 7,000–8,000 registered transport companies, with around 30,000 trucks licensed for international transport. According to him, transporters in the EU, where there are no border waits, can drive up to 18,000 kilometers per month, while transporters from Serbia and BiH can cover up to 8,000 kilometers in the same period. On behalf of BiH transporters, Zijad Šarić from Consortium Logistics BiH has warned local authorities and the European Commission that they will wait until mid-January for a solution, after which they will express their dissatisfaction through protests. “BiH and Serbia have a shared problem with drivers’ stay limits in the EU, which is a problem for the entire economy,” Šarić said, adding that a collapse is expected by April if the issue is not resolved. He stated that the consortium he represents brings together 480 transport companies.