Hundreds of truck drivers began blockading freight border crossings across several Balkan countries on Monday, January 26th, protesting against the European Union’s visa system that limits their time in the bloc. Dozens of goods checkpoints in Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia were targeted in a coordinated action by trucking unions that could last up to a week.
Speaking at Batrovci—a major border checkpoint with EU-member Croatia—Neđo Mandić from the Association of Transport Operators of Serbia criticised officials enforcing the new rules, saying
You are punishing, deporting and causing damage to the entire European economy.
By early afternoon, lines of lorries stretched back hundreds of metres on the Serbian side of the border.
The protests follow the EU’s gradual rollout of its long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES) since October. The system is intended to replace passport stamps with digital registration for visitors, enforcing a 90-day limit every 180 days for non-EU citizens. Trucking unions argue that this stricter enforcement makes long-haul operations from the Balkans “unsustainable.” According to Mandic,
We have been telling you that for more than 10 years.
Driver Nikola Rakonjac, 25, participating in the blockade at Batrovci, said the protests were necessary due to the lack of progress on the issue, stating “If we stand united, this is the only way we can resolve it.”
