Minister of Transport and Communications in the Council of Ministers of BiH Edin Forto said today that there is a risk that the stay of drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina in European Union countries will be limited at the end of this year or the beginning of next year due to new software solutions that will begin to be applied at the borders with EU countries.
He stated that the application of these software solutions could be an additional cost for transporters from BiH, which will put them in a disadvantageous position compared to transporters from the EU.
After a meeting with a representative of transporters from BiH, Forto said that operational work with transporter representatives had started today, and that one of the topics of the meeting related to the direct competence of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, such as the Regulation on Licensing and Training, which this ministry directly publishes and which affects the operations of transporters.
“The offer of the Ministry of Transport and Communications to transporters is to be their agent before other departments in the Council of Ministers because there are things that are pressing on transporters, and the transport sector is one of the healthiest parts of the economy in BiH,” said Forto, emphasizing that such meetings with transporters will be held on a weekly basis.
According to him, the way in which a solution can be found to the problem of the residence of drivers from BiH in EU countries is slowly crystallizing, but that this solution lies primarily with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Minister Elmedin Konaković has also accepted this topic and agreed to hold consultations with the EU regarding the interpretation of what residence means, because if you are a driver, you are not residing but passing through and working, you are not a migrant and a tourist. It is impossible to treat all categories of people entering the EU in the same way,” emphasized Forto.
He added that at the next ministerial conference, organized by the Transport Community in mid-May in Belgrade, he will propose that the issue of the residence of drivers from the Balkans be resolved regionally.
Forto also stated that one of the alternatives is an individual approach to EU countries to solve this problem, stating that certain activities have been initiated, but that problems that have accumulated for 20 years cannot be solved in a month.
He also emphasized that he supports any type of protest by drivers, stating that the protest regarding the stay of drivers in the EU should be regional.
