NEW APPEAL BiH Drivers Massively Returned from Border: Road Transport Sector Brought to the Brink of Survival

(Patria) - In the last seven days, as many as 375 drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, employed by domestic road carriers, have been forced into mandatory rest because they could not perform international transport, according to data from the Consortium Logistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On Sunday alone, 67 drivers were returned from the European Union border. Although they possess all the necessary permits, licenses, and professional certificates, the drivers could not deliver the goods they were transporting, which directly affects the business of BiH companies.

“Such practices violate the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina's economic activities. Our companies produce goods, our drivers transport them, but they cannot deliver them to the EU market. The consequences are delays, losses, and a serious threat to the survival of domestic transport companies,” the Consortium stated in a press release.

The Consortium especially thanks the media, who have been the only ones continuously informing the public about this problem, emphasizing that at a time when many institutions are silent, the media have remained the only space where the voice of BiH carriers can be heard.

In response to inquiries from BiH media, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Croatia states that it “acts in accordance with regulations,” while drivers are regularly turned back. However, in some EU countries, the situation has further deteriorated, with documented cases of drivers being arrested, treated as security risks solely due to their BiH citizenship.

The Consortium calls on political representatives in BiH to urgently initiate institutional dialogue with the institutions of Croatia and the EU and ensure equal treatment for BiH transport companies as for companies from other countries in the region.

“The time to react is now. If BiH institutions do not act urgently, the consequences will be felt not only by carriers but by the entire country's economy,” warns the Consortium Logistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina.