Is there good news on the horizon for carriers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and other Western Balkan countries? The answer, after the meeting that the representatives of the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH and other chambers of neighboring countries had with the European Commission and the Eurochamber in Brussels, could be positive.
Namely, the conclusion is, as he finds out Večernji listthat the European Union is becoming aware that the problem with drivers is a common problem for everyone, in which economies and jobs suffer on “both sides”, and it was confirmed that they are finally looking for a common solution.
Technical solutions
In addition, there are several options in circulation, starting with a completely new way of calculating the time that drivers spend in the EU, and as it turns out, BiH’s proposal is to use the EES and SIS systems, i.e. biometric capabilities, to count hours instead of days spent in the EU.
Such a solution would initially bring an additional 10 days of the possibility of staying in the EU, and one of the proposals is the possibility of extending the stay for an additional 30 days.
At the meeting in Brussels on behalf of BiH were Vjekoslav Vuković, Vice President of the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, and Danijela Kovač, Expert Associate for Multilateral Affairs – Assistant to the President/Vice President. On that occasion, positions were presented, but the support of the closest European countries, such as Croatia and Slovenia, was also clearly obtained.
Transitional solutions
Thus, among other things, it was confirmed that one of the transitional solutions could be bilateral agreements with countries like Croatia, which is already working on changes to the Aliens Act so that economic activity would not slow down due to a short-term stay of 90 days, and the new proposals go in the direction of long-term work visas for people who transport goods as part of business cooperation between legal entities from BiH and Croatia.
Furthermore, a proposal was made to extend the number of days of stay from 90/180 to 120/180, as well as to separate the stay of drivers in the Schengen zone into those who professionally transport goods and those who stay there, for example, for annual vacation.
A common problem
In a statement to Večernji lista BiH portal, Vuković emphasized that the conclusion of the meeting was that the countries of the Western Balkans and the European Union will work together to find a sustainable solution that would put carriers from BiH, as well as neighboring countries, on a more equal footing.
At the same time, it is important due to the volume of foreign trade, as well as the fact that the current measures affect not only the economies of the Western Balkans, but also the member states of the Union.
In this context, Vuković pointed out that the problem of drivers is not only a problem of the individual countries of the Western Balkans, but also of the European Union as a whole, given that the trucks simply do not arrive to deliver the necessary goods. The value of this meeting is reflected in the fact that it is now completely clear to both sides that the problem is common and that its solution must not be delayed.
In this sense, Vuković revealed that the European Commission has reached the conclusion that it will go in the direction of introducing certain strategies for visas, but that the introduction of long-term visas will last at least two years.
Support of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Therefore, BiH and the Balkan countries proposed to go for transitional solutions that entail a different way of calculating the driver’s stay and increasing the number of days the truck driver stays by 30 days.
He confirmed that Croatia and Slovenia stand behind BiH, and that colleagues from Austria and Germany were also informed about this issue, and received understanding from Luxembourg. Vuković also points out that, if the problem is solved bilaterally with the countries with which BiH has the largest exchange, those countries will become proponents of solving the problem at the level of the entire EU.
In the end, the key result of this meeting is that, after a long time, the European Union has become fully aware of the extent of this problem.
