Western Balkans truckers threaten September border blockade over Schengen stay limits

Hundreds of truck drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia staged coordinated protests on Monday across their four capitals, demanding that the European Union exempt professional hauliers from the Schengen rule limiting non-EU nationals to 90 days in any 180-day period. The drivers, organised through national transport associations, have set a deadline of 14 September for a response from Brussels, threatening to blockade border crossings with EU member states if no acceptable proposal emerges.

The rule that halves a driver's working year

The 90-in-180 rule has existed for years, but enforcement was patchy until the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) became operational in April. The system electronically records every entry and exit of non-EU nationals across the 25 EU Schengen members plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. For a driver who crosses into the zone daily or weekly to deliver goods, the limit translates into roughly half the calendar year spent legally inside the market they serve.

"Being allowed to stay for 90 days in six months is practically half of our working time," said Adis Casevic, a Bosnian driver who regularly runs loads to Germany, France and the Netherlands. "We cannot support our families that way." Casevic holds an international permit and works for a registered company, the standard credentials for cross-border haulage. His experience is replicated across the region. Nikola Brkovic of the Bosnian lobby group Logistika BiH estimates 5,000 drivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina alone are affected, with the total across the Western Balkans "considerably higher".

Trade dependence makes the threat economically potent

The Western Balkans' economic reliance on the EU gives the drivers leverage. The European Council notes the EU accounts for more than 60 percent of the region's total trade. Serbia, the largest economy, recorded foreign trade worth over €39 billion in the first half of 2026, of which 58 percent was with EU countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina's trade with the EU reached €5.6 billion in the first quarter of 2026. A prolonged blockade would delay food, fuel, medicines, industrial components and consumer goods, leaving trucks stranded and raising costs for businesses and consumers on both sides of the border. Bosnia's meat supply, for instance, depends heavily on imports that move by road.

January blockade proved the model works

The drivers have recent form. In January, coordinated action by drivers from the same four countries blocked freight terminals leading into the Schengen zone, disrupting supply chains for days. That protest was called off after the European Commission said it was in contact with Western Balkans partners to find a solution. Eight months later, the drivers say no acceptable proposal has been put forward. The Montenegrin Association of Transport Companies has already documented cases of Montenegrin drivers turned back at EU borders after hitting the 90-day limit, according to regional outlet Antena M.

Bilateral deals offer a patchwork, not a solution

One avenue under discussion is bilateral agreements between individual Western Balkan states and individual EU members. North Macedonia has concluded arrangements with Croatia, Switzerland and Romania, with more expected. But the drivers' organisations argue that a patchwork of bilateral deals creates administrative complexity and leaves gaps. Zijad Saric, president of Logistika BiH, said: "We are asking the European Union to extend the amount of time our drivers are allowed to spend in the [Schengen area]." The demand is for a single, region-wide arrangement covering all Schengen countries, reflecting the reality that a single journey often crosses multiple member states.

Why the Commission has moved slowly

The European Commission faces competing pressures. On one side, the Western Balkans are candidates or potential candidates for EU membership; keeping trade flowing supports economic convergence and political stability. On the other, the Schengen acquis is guarded jealously by member states, many of which resist any precedent that could be seen as weakening external border controls. The EES was built precisely to enforce the 90-in-180 rule uniformly. Creating a carve-out for professional drivers from specific non-EU countries would require a legal basis, likely a Commission implementing act or a Council decision, and political consensus that does not yet exist.

The legal and political knot

Any exemption must navigate the Schengen Borders Code, which sets the 90-in-180 rule for third-country nationals. Article 25 allows member states to issue long-stay visas or residence permits for specific purposes, but these are national instruments, not Schengen-wide. A collective arrangement would need either a Council regulation or a Commission delegated act, both requiring qualified majority voting among Schengen states. The Western Balkans are not represented in that vote. Meanwhile, the drivers' argument, that they are not tourists or migrants but essential workers moving EU goods, has resonance in capitals that depend on just-in-time logistics, but it has not yet translated into a formal proposal.

What happens next

The 14 September deadline falls on a Monday. If the Commission or the Council presidency (held by Denmark until December) does not announce a credible pathway, such as a mandate to negotiate a sectoral agreement or a temporary derogation, the blockade will likely proceed. The January action showed the drivers can coordinate across four national borders simultaneously. A repeat would test the EU's crisis management for transport corridors, and could force an emergency Council meeting. For now, the drivers' associations say they are waiting for a signal. "If no agreement is reached with the European Commission, we could block the borders again on September 14," Saric said.