Truckers in North Macedonia on Thursday evening announced that roadblocks at the land-locked country’s borders will be lifted, hours after a relevant association of transporters in Montenegro announced a similar decision.
Truckers and transport companies in four western Balkan countries – Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Montenegro – had blocked border crossings between the four countries and Schengen zone countries – such as Greece – since Monday.
The decisions to lift the roadblocks at the border posts were taken following same-day announcements by the European Commission that it intends to adopt a new strategy on entry visas, which should solve the problem faced by professional drivers from non-EU third countries.
The roadblocks only affected trucks and not passenger vehicles.
Professionals in these four countries are demanding that professional truck drivers to be exempted from the regulation stipulating a maximum stay of 90 days per six-month period in the Schengen area, arguing the latter cannot be equated with tourists, as they travel for purely professional reasons.
