The chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, sent a letter to the presidents of the governments of the Western Balkan countries (WB6), in which she called for a coordinated and unified approach towards the institutions of the European Union in order to solve the serious difficulties faced by the sector of international road transport of goods.
The letter points out that road hauliers from the region have been facing problems at the borders with the European Union for a long time due to the application of Regulation (EU) 2016/399, which prescribes the rule of stay of 90 days within a period of 180 days. This issue was also discussed at meetings within the Growth Plan and during meetings within the Berlin Process, but despite the intensive efforts of the competent institutions, a concrete and sustainable solution has not yet been reached.
Additional difficulties, including blockades of certain border crossings towards the European Union, as stated, further complicated the situation and caused serious operational problems and significant financial losses for carriers and economies of the countries of the region.
Although the efforts of the European Union institutions have been recognised, including the fact that the European Commission recognized professional truck drivers as a special category for the first time as part of the new visa strategy, the key demands of the sector are still not resolved.
The talks between the ministers of the WB6 countries and representatives of the European Commission further confirmed the complexity of the issue and the need for stronger institutional engagement. Due to the absence of a systematic solution at the level of the European Union, carriers and economies of the Western Balkan countries continue to suffer serious consequences, including disruptions in supply chains, reduction of competitiveness and negative effects on foreign trade.
In the letter, Chairwoman Kristo suggests considering a joint initiative of the presidents of the governments of the countries of the region towards the European Union, with the aim of pointing out the urgency of the situation and the need for a quick, predictable and long-term sustainable solution.
It was emphasized that a unified and coordinated approach by the countries of the region would further highlight the importance of this issue, confirm commitment to constructive dialogue with European partners and contribute to finding solutions based on the principles of free movement of goods and services, the Council of Ministers of BiH announced.
