At the next session, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina will make a statement on the Information of the Ministry of Communications and Transport on the problems of carriers/drivers, after it has been supplemented with the proposals highlighted during today’s discussion.
The solution to this important problem is focused on exempting carriers/drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina from the provision of residence restrictions when performing international road transport of passengers and goods, i.e. recording their stay during the performance of work as transit, not residence and stopping the unequal position of carriers from BiH in the regional and international context.
The Minister of Communications and Transport, Edin Forto, will delegate the problem of the limited stay of transporters/drivers at the next meeting of the Ministers of Transport of the Western Balkans, announced for 16 May 2025 in Belgrade, which will be held in the organization of the Transport Community, and will emphasize the importance of a regional approach in solving this important problem.
We would like to remind you that in June and November last year, the Council of Ministers of BiH considered information on the problems of transport operators, and although the competent ministers of BiH have initiated bilateral activities and are continuously conducting them with representatives of the competent institutions of the European Commission, this problem still remains open, and the control of drivers from BiH in the EU is becoming even more complicated ahead of the announced introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) announced for the end of the current year.
The Council of Ministers of BiH previously recalled the consistent implementation of Article 59 of the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, on the one hand, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the other hand, which defines, among other things, that the provision of transport services in terms of land transport is based on the effective application of the principle of non-discrimination and the gradual harmonisation of BiH legislation in the field of transport with EU legislation, which Bosnia and Herzegovina is continuously doing, thus fulfilling its obligations in this area.
BIH AND ALBANIA MUTUALLY RECOGNIZE DRIVING LICENSES
At today’s session, the BiH Council of Ministers approved the Proposal for an Agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania on the mutual recognition and exchange of driver’s licenses, with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation and developing overall relations between the two countries.
In this way, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Albania mutually recognize valid driver’s licenses issued by the competent authorities of the other contracting party, within the period of validity, in accordance with national legislation. In practice, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina temporarily residing in the territory of the Republic of Albania are given the opportunity to, under certain conditions, exchange their BH driving licenses without taking a driving test.
The applicant must meet the age requirement prescribed by the relevant legislation and is obliged to submit a certificate of medical fitness confirming that he is medically fit to drive a motor vehicle or a set of motor vehicles of a certain category/subcategory.
The Ministry of Communications and Transport will submit the Draft Agreement with the Report on the Conduct of Negotiations to the Presidency of BiH for further adoption and determination of signatories on behalf of BiH.
CONSENT TO APPOINTMENT
At the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consent was given to appoint Colonel Aurelio Costa to the position of Attaché for Defense, Army, Navy and Air Force of the Republic of Italy for Bosnia and Herzegovina, with headquarters in Belgrade, the BiH Council of Ministers announced after today’s session.
