Logistika Consortium: We are not seeking privileges, but BiH institutions must initiate dialogue with the European Union

(Patria) - The Plenum of the Logistika Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina informs the public and institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina that on March 10, 2026, at 6:12 PM, a letter from the Office of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina was delivered to the official email of the Consortium, requesting the appointment of representatives to participate in the work of a working group.

The aforementioned act is dated March 6, 2026, while it requests the Consortium to submit proposals for representatives no later than March 9, 2026.

"In other words, the Consortium is asked to respond to the request retroactively, meaning to reply to a deadline that expired before the letter was even delivered. Such a method of communication towards a sector that employs tens of thousands of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be considered a serious or responsible approach to solving the problems of road transport.

At the same time, we want to emphasize that the letter from the Office of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a formal sense, represents a positive step towards an institutional approach to solving the problems of the transport sector. The Logistika Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina supports such an approach and is ready to participate constructively in any process that leads to real solutions.

However, the fact that the letter was delivered four days late relative to the deadline stated within it clearly shows how slow and insufficiently aligned the current institutional approach is with the real problems faced by transport companies," the Consortium states.

The fact that the act itself does not mention any specific activity related to direct talks with the Government of the Republic of Croatia is particularly concerning, although the issue of applying the 90/180 rule and the status of professional drivers is one of the key issues requiring urgent bilateral and European initiative.

"Therefore, the Logistika Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina believes that, parallel to the formation of the working group, it is necessary to immediately initiate direct talks with the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the institutions of the European Union, because without such an approach, the problem cannot be solved."

They remind that on December 14, 2024, the Logistika Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted to the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (MKT BiH, MVP BiH, MVTEO BiH, Council of Ministers of BiH, Government of Republika Srpska, and Government of the Federation of BiH) an Analysis of the Road Transport Situation, spanning 37 pages, with clearly defined problems and concrete proposed solutions.

On January 15, 2025, the Plenum of the Consortium defined two key goals for the sector: resolving the issue of discrimination against professional drivers and their right to work in the context of the EU residence rule (90/180 rule), and fiscal and administrative relief for the operations of transport companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"During 2025, dozens of meetings were held with the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially in the period from April 15 to September 1, 2025, with numerous promises that solutions would be implemented. Unfortunately, to date, none of the key requests have been fulfilled: there is no fiscal relief for the sector, no changes to the VAT treatment of transport services, no response to initiatives towards the Indirect Taxation Authority, no coordination between the Council of Ministers of BiH, the Government of the Federation of BiH, and the Government of Republika Srpska. We remind that regional protests by transport companies were organized in January of this year, precisely due to the long-standing lack of solutions and unfulfilled promises.

At the same time, during communication with the institutions of the European Union and the European Commission in Brussels, certain consultative groups were formed, but no representative of transport companies from the Logistika BiH Consortium was included, even though it is precisely the transport companies that suffer the direct consequences of the existing rules. Due to all of the above, the trust of transport companies in the institutional process has been seriously undermined," they state.

The Plenum of the Consortium will delegate representatives to the working group by a special act that will be submitted to the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they emphasize that two issues require urgent action:

"Moratorium and urgent resolution of the residence issue for professional drivers (90/180 rule) through direct talks with the institutions of the European Union and the Government of the Republic of Croatia. Fiscal and administrative relief for the transport sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, about which institutions have already been informed through several submitted initiatives.
The Logistika Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina expects direct communication with the institutions that have real authority to resolve these issues, without intermediaries and without further delay. The interests of road carriers of Bosnia and Herzegovina are today represented by the most organized professional and expert organization in the transport sector – the Logistika Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Consortium brings together transport companies, experts, and operators from the logistics and road transport sector and represents the broadest and most representative platform of transport companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The interests of carriers can be legitimately represented exclusively through the decisions of the Plenum of the Consortium, as the highest body that gathers representatives of transport companies from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina," they state.

The Plenum of the Logistika Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina is scheduled for March 23, 2026.

The Plenum has already confirmed the decision that, if concrete activities and solutions are not initiated by that date, the transport sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina will begin a protest that will last until the carriers' demands are met.

According to the estimates of the sector's crisis headquarters, if the current situation continues without urgent institutional reaction, by that date more than 41% of the vehicle units of transport companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be out of operation.

This means that the road transport sector is rapidly approaching a scenario where thousands of professional drivers will be forced into early retirement and withdrawal from the labor market.

"If there is even one percent of genuine interest in the survival of road transport companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, talks with the Government of the Republic of Croatia should have started by now. We are not seeking privileges. We are seeking a fair and realistic approach based on good neighborly relations and partnership between two deeply interconnected economies.

If Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot initiate this dialogue on its own, it is the duty of the institutions to raise the issue at the European Union level. Because at this moment, more than 20,000 young people employed in the transport and logistics sector are in direct existential uncertainty. Carriers of Bosnia and Herzegovina no longer have the luxury of waiting. The time for institutional reaction is measured in days, not months. Every lost day means the closure of companies, parking of trucks, and job losses.

Therefore, the Plenum of the Logistika Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina states: The time for excuses is over – the time for decisions has begun. If the state does not talk to Zagreb and Brussels, it will soon be talking to empty truck parking lots across Bosnia and Herzegovina," they concluded in the letter.