Thewesternbalkans.
Schengen controls cause problems
Truck drivers in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia have announced a week-long blockade of border crossings with Schengen countries, from January 26 to February 2. The reason was the upcoming launch of the EU’s Entry-Exit System, which limits the stay of professional drivers from these countries to a maximum of 90 days within a six-month period. The protests were called off early after the presentation of the new European migration strategy, which envisages the possibility of increasing the number of days they can stay in the Schengen area on a so-called “tour visa”. At the same time, the six countries warned that the protests and border blockades could be continued if the problem is not resolved.
In search of a sustainable solution
At a meeting at the European Commission on 06.01.2026, ministers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Macedonia and Serbia tried to obtain concessions for truck drivers, but according to the EC, there was no legal basis for such actions and “temporary solutions” would probably not be supported by most member states. During the meeting, representatives of the Commission did not show flexibility and emphasized that the Entry-Exit system does not introduce new rules for short-term stays in the Schengen area, but rather strengthens control over the implementation of existing rules.
During the discussions, the possibility of drivers from the Western Balkan countries requesting permanent residence in the EU was considered. However, this would lead to a sharp decrease in the number of drivers in the Western Balkan countries who would be able to work for companies from the member states at higher wages.
Discussions have not yet led to a suitable short-term solution to the problem, and in this situation, new protests and border blockades are not ruled out. Therefore, the EC has proposed the creation of a working group to search for a sustainable solution, with the participation of member states interested in finding a way out of the situation.
Everyone Loses
The topic is important for the economy of the entire region of Southeast Europe and for the security of supply chains. The protests on the borders of the Balkan countries are negatively affecting all regional countries, especially Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. According to Bulgarian experts, the losses for international carriers from the forced shutdown are between 10 and 12 euros per hour and amount to 240-280 euros per day in wages for drivers, fuel costs, and there is no compensation mechanism for them. This is very reminiscent of the situation with the protests of Greek farmers, when the blockades on the Bulgarian-Greek border crossings lasted about a month and a half and the losses for carriers were in millions of euros.
If the protests of carriers continue, practically all bilateral transport between the EU countries and those from the Western Balkans may be interrupted.
The expectations of state institutions in the region – both EU member states and candidate countries – are that rapid action by Brussels on the implementation of the new visa strategy will solve the problem faced by professional drivers, but for the time being, some member states have reservations about both a temporary short-term solution and a solution that would include an exception for a separate category of third-country nationals (professional drivers) from the Entry-Exit system.
