Professional drivers have begun to be brought to police stations on the territory of Croatia, with the imposition of a six-month ban on entry into Schengen for drivers with Bosnia and Herzegovina passports, the Logistics Consortium of BiH announced.
The consortium warns that the situation in the international road transport sector is deteriorating dramatically.
“Although it is not formally a question of deprivation of liberty, the very fact that drivers are detained and that entry bans are imposed on them represents an alarming signal for the entire transport sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, they emphasized.
The Consortium asks if anyone in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina is aware of what is currently happening, that the application of the rule of 90/180 days of stay in the Schengen area, as well as the introduction of the Entry-Exit System (EES), are already leading to serious disruptions in international transport.
“In some weeks, more than 300 professional drivers have been returned from the border, which directly affects the realization of export of goods and the functioning of supply chains”, they stated in the announcement, and added that, if this trend continues, the consequences for the transport sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be dramatic.
“Estimates indicate that in the first phase, there could be the shutdown of a large number of transport companies, the loss of up to 20,000 jobs, serious threats to exports and the country’s logistics system, they said.
They explain that in BiH transport companies are the most vulnerable to restrictions on the work of drivers in international transport in the entire region, and that it is possible that, due to the current situation, domestic carriers will be replaced by foreign ones, but, as they emphasize, at significantly higher prices.
“Estimates from the sector show that the price of transport with foreign carriers will be 1,000 to 1,500 euros higher per transport operation, which will ultimately be paid for by the domestic economy and the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” they emphasized.
They point out that there is no benefit from the formation of working groups because it is “just buying time while the transport sector is slowly dying.”
For this reason, the Plenum of the Logistics Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at an extraordinary session, confirmed that March 23 remains the date of protest activities.
“The transport sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents one of the key economic branches, the value of which is estimated at several billion euros per year. That’s why we warn you once again, this is no longer just a problem for drivers and transport companies. This is a question of the economic survival of the logistic system of Bosnia and Herzegovina. If a serious political dialogue with the institutions of the European Union and neighboring countries is not urgently initiated, the consequences will be felt by the entire economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” they stressed.
