Regarding the border blockade protest announced for Monday, January 26, by road transport associations from the Western Balkan countries due to travel restrictions in the Schengen countries, which are unfavorable for them, the European Commission announced that it is "carefully monitoring the situation" and that it is "in contact with partners from the Western Balkans."
European Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said that the rules for residence within Schengen are "clear and known in advance" and that there is "some flexibility" in their application.
"Cross-border workers who frequently cross the same border crossings and workers with local permits are checked randomly and are not required to register in the entry-exit system," Lamert said, RTS reported.
The spokesperson stressed that the decision on whether or not to carry out random border checks is made by the member states at the external borders, not the European Commission.
Transporters from the Western Balkans region have announced a protest for January 26th, when they will block cargo border terminals, due to the new EES system for entering and exiting the European Union.
The drivers' protest is also, as they claim, due to the inadequate response of the European Commission and the Schengen countries to their objections to the rules that limit the stay of professional drivers in the Schengen territory, where they travel daily as transporters. For them, even a daily stay of just a few hours in the Schengen countries is counted as a full day, and they quickly use up their travel quota.
Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut proposed a solution to the problem of the limited stay of professional drivers in the Schengen area to the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath, but did not state what the solution would be.
Macut said that the restriction that a person can stay in Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period, which applies to all passengers, "puts professional drivers in international road transport in a position where they are only allowed to carry out passenger and goods transport for six months in a year, which is economically unsustainable for employers and makes this profession unprofitable."
Bonus video:
