From tomorrow, carriers from Bosnia and Herzegovina will start submitting visa applications to the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia and six consulates, after Croatia adopted changes to the Aliens Act and provided a partial solution to the strict application of the Schengen system of entry and exit from the European Union.
Visa D, however, is not a systemic solution, transporters say, because it is valid only for Croatia, while the problem of detention and restrictions on the movement of goods to the rest of the European market remains.
Muratović: The visa does not solve the transit problem
The visa will be valid for one year, and truck and bus drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina will have the right to one or more entries, but only to Croatia. Croatia is currently the only member of the European Union that has taken the first step towards solving the problem of carriers from the region.
“For drivers who drive goods to other countries or transit through Croatia, immediately upon entering Croatia, the border authority performs registration in the new EES entry and exit system. At that moment, their days automatically start counting according to the 90/180 day rule. Any attempt to use this visa for transit entails its immediate cancellation and sanctions,” said Hidajet Muratović, member of the Logistics Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The application for a D visa must be submitted no earlier than two months and no later than 30 days before the planned start of the transport of goods or passengers. This is a short-term solution after a series of protests and border blockades with the European Union, whose members have not yet reached a consensus on the exemption of this category of drivers from the Schengen rules.
Forto: Drivers are not exempt from the rules
Edin Forto, Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina, explains that certain categories of transport professionals are exempt from the 90/180 day rule, while professional truck and bus drivers are not.
“Crews of ships, trains and planes, i.e. people involved in transportation, are exempted from the 90/180 rule, i.e. they can stay longer when they work. Professional truck and bus drivers are not included, so this rule applies to them. This is the result of the struggle of several strong lobbies, I would say transport lobbies from various European Union member states,” said Forto.
Oleg Butković, Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Croatia, also points to the need for an unhindered flow of goods and people.
“It is in our interest that there are no crowds, that traffic and the transport of goods, goods and people go smoothly, without obstacles and hindrances. In this sense, we were the voice of reason in the European Commission regarding this issue,” said Butković.
The problem remains for most carriers
The visa is not valid for drivers who transport goods whose final destination is not exclusively Croatia, and there are the most of such in this sector.
“This brings relief to lines to Zagreb, Rijeka or the port of Ploče. And what about the hundreds of our trucks that drive industrial exports to Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland and other Schengen countries every day? The clock starts ticking for them as soon as they cross our border and absolutely nothing applies to them”, emphasized Muratović.
All this will have consequences for trade, but also for supply chains in the European Union. It is expected that Croatia’s example could soon be followed by other countries, which, as announced, could be a request that relevant ministers from the region will send to Brussels from the ministerial conference at the end of the year, BHRT writes.
