The blockade of border crossings and the Port of Bar for freight traffic, which transport operators have announced will begin at 12 noon on Monday, could cause supply problems, especially with fuel, but businessmen and traders are trying to get larger quantities of goods over the weekend.
This was stated to "Vijesti" by several interlocutors from various committees of the Chamber of Commerce, who had several meetings and communications with partners and suppliers in the past two days and yesterday.
The blockades are being organized as part of a regional protest by freight carriers from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, due to the limitation of the duration of stay - work of professional drivers in the Schengen countries to a maximum of 90 days in a period of six months, but also because the Ministry of Finance yesterday did not accept their requests to increase the amount of excise tax refunds on fuel that their colleagues in the region have, to speed up the refund of VAT to 30 to 60 days because they have now been waiting for years, as well as to extend the work of customs and phytosanitary inspections so that they are adapted to the needs of carriers as taxpayers.
In case of problems, the Ministry of Interior will not extend the protest
The plan is to block all border crossings that are registered for cargo crossings - Debeli Brijeg, Ilin Brdo, Vraćenovići, Ranča, Meteljka, Dobrakovo, Dračenovac, Kula and Božaj, as well as the entrances and exits from the Port of Bar.
The Police Directorate has approved the transporters' protests for 72 hours, or until noon on Thursday. According to information from "Vijesti", the Ministry of Interior is ready to withdraw its approval for the protest if there is a disruption in supply or other major damage to the public interest and economic activity. The transporters have already requested approval to extend the protest, and the Ministry of Interior unofficially informed "Vijesti" that in the event of any problems, they will take a break of a day or two between the protests to enable procurement.
"Vijesti"'s interlocutors said that large retail chains have stocks of most goods for at least 30 days, except for imported food products with short shelf lives such as dairy products, eggs, fresh vegetables, meat..., but that there could be no shortage of them if the blockades lasted only three or four days and if customers bought regular quantities.
Both imports and reservoirs will be blocked.
The biggest possible problem remains with the supply of petroleum products, because in addition to border crossings, transporters will also block the exits from the Port where Jugopetrol's tanks and tanker unloading terminals are located. In this way, Jugopetrol would not be able to supply its own gas stations or the private ones that buy from it. Other oil companies import fuel in tankers via border crossings and their supplies will be blocked from Monday.
The tanks and warehouses of the pumps themselves have fuel for three to four days, so the interruption of imports and transport from the Luka warehouse would cause problems. A source for "Vijesti" from this sector said that some oil companies managed to arrange to receive the quantities that were supposed to arrive in the following days over the weekend, so that they will have fuel until the end of next week in case of regular consumption from customers.
Representatives of the baking industry told "Vijesti" that they agreed yesterday with flour suppliers from Serbia to receive the quantities previously planned for next week over the weekend, and that they do not expect problems in supply and production unless the protests continue.
The Association of International Freight Carriers of Montenegro, which is organizing the blockades, stated that they will allow passenger traffic, as well as the transport of medicines, live animals, explosives and weapons.
The state responded to the call with repression
President of the Association Djordje Lješnjak He stated that their trucks would be parked next to highways and before border crossings, and that if the police let the trucks through at the border, they would stop them.
"For the last three months, we have been expressing our dissatisfaction, but since January 18, we have had the impression that we are bothering the state. Instead of helping us, the Customs Administration has started a showdown with transporters. Trucks from certain companies have been detained for several hours at the borders, controls last five hours, and some customs officers say that this comes from the top," said Lješnjak.
He explained that the protest will begin at 12 noon and will last until the demands are met, and that they are appealing to the Prime Minister. Milojko Spajić and the Minister of Finance Novica Vuković to spare them hours of unnecessary border controls - because they will soon be asking for help from the international community, or rather from the embassies of foreign countries.
"We don't need help, we are looking for a partnership with the state. It is obliged to provide us with the opportunity to work normally, and since we started expressing dissatisfaction, it has only gotten worse. We ask that the targeting of companies stop because we also have photographs, that there are receipts at the borders with the names of companies that customs officers should stop. The consequences of the protest will be huge for us because we only earn money when the wheel is turning, and we will not work from Monday. We employ thousands of people and their livelihoods are at risk," Lješnjak stressed.
They expect police cooperation.
He stressed that he hopes that the border police will not allow the trucks to cross because they have properly reported the protest and informed their colleagues that they will block the vehicles. Lješnjak added that they have had meetings at the Ministry of Finance so far, but that Vuković said that faster VAT refunds affect the budget deficit, and that they were not satisfied with the epilogue of the talks at the Chamber of Commerce.
Lješnjak emphasized that in the event of the closure of domestic companies, they will be replaced by foreign ones that will be twice as expensive, and that Montenegrin transport will cease to exist by the time the country enters the European Union.
He pointed out that at the beginning of last year, their excise tax refund was reduced from 18 to 11 cents per liter, that they want goods to be inspected at customs terminals, not at borders, and that drivers will leave Montenegro for benefits in other countries - so they are asking for a preferential working experience for them.
Problems could have been resolved in a timely manner
The businessmen with whom "Vijesti" spoke said that they understand the problems of transport companies because from April 10, when new rules for residence and work in the Schengen zone come into force, they may be left without significant income because they will have many fewer tours than before and that this threatens their existence.
"These are norms that have been known for two years, but the problems have not been resolved. The government could have better represented transporters before the EU earlier and they would not be in this problem now. We also support their proposals to increase the amount of excise tax refunds on fuel and to have VAT refunded to them within the legal period of 30 days, and not in a year as is the case now. The government has also reduced excise tax refunds for businessmen who use fuel in production, bakers... We understand and support everything, but now we are all suffering. If the blockades are extended, the economy will suffer damage of tens of millions of euros. Who can the person who suffers damage sue - only the state," the interlocutor of "Vijesti" stated.
Businessmen point out that all the extraordinary purchases they are now making to get goods before the blockades are costing extra, an additional problem is that since yesterday it has been impossible to find a transporter in Montenegro and the region because everyone was looking for them, and some were not even working in preparation for the protest.
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