The main border crossings between the European Union and the Western Balkans risk operational disruption starting on 26 January 2026. The protest announced by hauliers from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro concerns the application of the Schengen rule limiting non-EU professional drivers to 90 days’ stay within any 180-day period, as well as the entry into operation of the EU Entry Exit System (EES). The affected crossings are located in particular along Corridor 10, the key axis linking Belgrade, Niš and Skopje with EU markets via Croatia, Bulgaria and Greece.
Schengen rules provide that third-country nationals may stay in the area for a maximum of 90 days in a rolling 180-day period. This rule has existed for years but has been applied unevenly; with the introduction of the EES it becomes automatic and systematic. The new digital system, operational since 12 October 2025 and fully implemented from 10 April 2026, automatically records entries and exits at external borders, linking them to biometric data. This removes any de facto flexibility in managing drivers’ length of stay.
From a transport planning perspective, the impact is significant. Days are counted on a daily rather than hourly basis, with both the day of entry and the day of exit counted as full days. In practical terms, over a six-month period a driver has a theoretical average of 15 days per month within the Schengen area. Taking into account weekend driving bans and waiting times at borders, effective working days fall to around 9–10 per month. This drastically reduces mileage capacity, estimated at 7,000–8,000 kilometres per month, compared with the roughly 15,000 kilometres typically covered by drivers employed by EU companies.
For Western Balkan haulage companies, the business model becomes difficult to sustain. Fixed costs for vehicles, leasing, insurance and infrastructure remain unchanged, while labour productivity is halved. On the operational side, immediate difficulties emerge in international trip planning, driver rotation management and compliance with transport contracts involving binding delivery times.
Industry associations stress that the drivers concerned do not operate as tourists or occasional visitors, but as workers with full documentation for vehicles, goods and activities carried out. Time spent in the Schengen area is determined exclusively by transport needs and infrastructure constraints, not by personal choice. Hence the call for a specific status comparable to that of cross-border workers, already предусмотрed in other European regulatory contexts.
The trigger for the mobilisation is precisely the entry into operation of the EES, which removes any margin for informal adjustment. Previously, length of stay was checked through manual passport stamps, with scope for errors or discretion. Under the new system, exceeding the 90-day limit automatically entails sanctions, entry bans and fines, with direct consequences for fleet operational continuity.
For supply chains, the potential effects are immediate. A blockage at border crossings would disrupt import and export flows between the EU and the Western Balkans, a region whose total trade with the Union reached €83.6 billion in 2024, up 28.6% compared with 2021. Around 60% of the region’s foreign trade is directed towards the EU, and an estimated 370,000 local companies depend directly on the regularity of these flows.
The region is deeply integrated into European value chains, particularly in automotive, machinery, electrical equipment, textiles and basic manufacturing. Many production processes operate on just-in-time principles, which are poorly suited to prolonged delays or sudden border disruptions. North Macedonia shows the highest level of integration into global value chains, followed by Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, making the reliability of road links a critical factor also for EU manufacturing companies.
On the human resources front, the Balkan area is also facing a growing shortage of drivers. The risk of exceeding stay limits is prompting many drivers to leave the profession or seek employment with EU-based companies able to guarantee continuity of work. This trend adds pressure to a sector already marked by recruitment difficulties and idle vehicles due to lack of personnel.
European institutions have so far reiterated that the EES does not introduce new rules but merely enforces existing legislation more effectively, and that the management of external border controls falls within the competence of Member States. No changes to the implementation timetable have been announced, nor specific operational solutions for international road transport.
The governments of the countries concerned have expressed support for hauliers’ demands and have put forward technical proposals, including the introduction of a special status for professional drivers, a different method of calculating stays based on hours rather than days, or the issuance of specific permits for international road haulage. For the time being, however, there are no concrete signs of a structured negotiation at European level.
M.L.
