Carriers warn: Bosnia and Herzegovina faces disruption in road transport and supply from April

(Patria) - Thousands of trucks are blocked at border crossings, and from April, Bosnia and Herzegovina faces disruption in road transport and supply due to the full implementation of the EU's entry and exit system and discrimination against drivers.

This was stated at a press conference in Sarajevo today by Zijad Šarić, a member of the Management Board of the Logistics Consortium BiH, emphasizing that carriers will not give up their protests without clear and written solutions.

Šarić says that numerous meetings with BiH institutions have not yielded results, which is why carriers were forced to take radical measures, although they are aware that the entire economy will feel the consequences.

- We have fulfilled all the conditions set by the EU, but our drivers are being treated as migrants and undeclared workers. This is a regional protest, and we will not stop until a final, fair solution is reached - said Šarić.

He points out that carriers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia are participating in the protests, with the support of colleagues from Turkey.

His colleague from the Management Board of the Logistics Consortium BiH, Edin Čaušević, stated that carriers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, unlike those in the region, have been left without support from institutions, chambers, and governments.

- We have been trying to solve problems for more than a year, but we only receive promises that serve to buy time. Our drivers at EU borders face uncertainty every day as to whether they will be fined, returned, or detained - adds Čaušević.

He warns that the full implementation of the EU's entry and exit system from April could lead to, according to carriers' estimates, every fourth truck being returned from the EU border.

Nikola Brković, a member of the Management Board of the Logistics Consortium BiH, assessed that carriers are exposed to systemic discrimination by European police and state services.

- Every departure of a truck with goods is an uncertainty for us. We are not asking for privileges, but for our institutions to do their job and not keep us with empty promises - stated Brković, adding that previous promises from the authorities have never been fulfilled.

Dino Durmić also addressed the media, emphasizing that the key demand of the carriers is to change the rules for drivers' stay and work in the EU, specifically the 90 in 180-day rule.

- We also demand a refund of part of the excise taxes on fuel, the conclusion of bilateral agreements on VAT refunds, as well as a 50 percent discount on road tolls in Bosnia and Herzegovina to redirect traffic to highways - added Durmić.