Transporters and logistics companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina will hold a protest in Sarajevo today, where they will, among other things, demand relief for the operations of transport companies in BiH. The organizers previously announced that around 500 trucks from all over the country are expected to march through the capital of BiH today.
With this protest, they want to show that BiH has a strong transport industry and that for the past 14 months, the plenum of the Logistics Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been waging a civilized and reasoned fight for better conditions.
In addition to the demand to resolve the issue of visa restrictions for stay in the EU (90 days in 180), professional drivers are also demanding changes to the procedures for entering and leaving the country, so that they do not spend hours at the borders without any justification. The current situation is seriously jeopardizing the operations of BiH transport companies, which are increasingly losing workers.
Due to the more rigorous application of EU rules on stay, transporters are threatened with high fines of 1,200 to 6,000 euros. In some cases, drivers are detained for 24 hours, and many are then banned from entering. This often results in dismissals.
Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina Edin Forto held a meeting with transport operators to discuss current problems. On that occasion, Forto stated that the situation has been recognized and that work is underway to find a solution in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Forto then proposed holding weekly meetings with transport operators in order to find the most efficient solutions.
Transport operators have scheduled a meeting with the Director of the Indirect Taxation Administration and Minister of Foreign Trade Staša Košarac for April 25. If the meeting does not take place, they are announcing a protest in the style of the “French model”, which means a blockade of border crossings in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The blockade could completely stop trade with the EU, since more than 90% of trade takes place by road. The price of transport is also expected to increase by over 20%, which would directly affect the prices of almost all basic life products.
As announced, today’s protest drive by representatives of the road transport sector will start from Stupska petlja through Bulevar Meše Selimovića all the way to Trg Bosne i Hercegovine, where they will make a symbolic U-turn, and then return to their vehicles and leave the city. At 12:00, they will present their demands and further steps in front of the BiH Parliament of the Logistics Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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