BORDER BLOCKADES MUST BE ENDED IMMEDIATELY TO PREVENT ECONOMIC LOSSES

BANJA LUKA, JANUARY 30 /SRNA/ - Marinko Umičević, director of the well-known Banja Luka-based footwear factory Bema, emphasized that border blockades of cargo traffic with the EU must be lifted immediately, as businesses in Republika Srpska, BiH, and beyond are suffering significant losses.

Umičević told SRNA that his company alone has already incurred direct and indirect losses of at least BAM 600,000, which could lead to problems with paying employee salaries. "The blockades must be lifted today, as they are causing chaos and catastrophic conditions throughout the economy and industry. We are facing problems with procuring raw materials, delivering finished goods to partners, collecting payments, and continuing production," Umičević said. He added that authorities should wait for EU solutions regarding the drivers' issue and that BiH-level institutions should go to Brussels to discuss positive measures on the matter. "The EU decisions are discriminatory and arrogant, but they have slightly backtracked after realizing that the Western Balkans produces a lot of goods for their market and that they are also suffering losses," Umičević said, adding that blockades in Montenegro and North Macedonia were lifted following certain European proposals. He said it should be determined whether there are political motives behind all of this, and that the police should be called in if the situation continues. "The police need to be involved in what is happening today, to end the blockades and to investigate what is real and what is hidden behind the scenes. And whether there is any political motive. Everything should then be made public, because this has crossed all limits," Umičević warned. He added that there should also be a discussion about how many local transport companies have registered businesses in Croatia and other EU countries, while here they are blocking the borders. The carriers' protest began on Monday, January 26, at noon, due to mounting problems related to drivers' stays in Schengen countries, with the new EU entry system being the latest issue. They argue that drivers are now being treated almost like tourists and are demanding to be exempted from the 90/180-day rule. Yesterday, the Chamber of Commerce of Republika Srpska called on the consortium Logistics BiH to direct its protest activities at BiH institutions, primarily the Council of Ministers, since the border blockade is paralyzing Republika Srpska's economy, which is already suffering significant losses.