The domestic transport sector is facing an accelerated shutdown of companies, while tens of thousands of jobs are in question. Estimates show that up to 20,000 jobs are directly threatened in the next 18 months, said the Logistics Consortium of BiH.
They add that the road transport sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina is entering the most critical phase in the last few decades. What was a warning until yesterday is becoming a reality today – the pressure on professional drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina within the European Union is intensifying, while the legal and operational security of their work is seriously undermined.
“The application of the Entry/Exit System (EES), which was supposed to bring transparency and accurate records of stay, in practice does not give the expected results for the transport sector. On the contrary, it is shown that even properly recorded entry into the EU does not guarantee drivers the ability to complete the transport task”, the Consortium points out.
From entry to arrest – a new reality
They add that since May 1, 2026, a number of cases have been recorded in which drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, after legally entering the territory of the EU and passing all controls, were stopped within the member states. In the last few days, specific cases were recorded in Germany and Austria, where drivers were detained, arrested and deported.
“Controls carried out within the territory of the EU, often without a clear explanation and transparent criteria, create legal uncertainty and operational risk that directly affects international transport. An additional problem is the fact that EES records do not provide any real protection”, they explain.
Institutional response – no result
As they said at the same time, domestic institutions do not offer an adequate response. After several months of meetings and work of interdepartmental bodies, including activities towards the European Commission, not a single specific request of the sector has been implemented.
“Clearly defined requirements – relief of business, reduction of waiting at borders, improvement of the work of the Directorate for Indirect Taxation, refund of part of excise duties and protection of professional drivers – remained without implementation.
“Instead of systemic solutions, redirecting business to EU member states, including Croatia, is increasingly being mentioned as an alternative, which in the long term leads to a weakening of the domestic sector,” said the Consortium.
Economic consequences – accelerated shutdown of the sector
They clarify that the consequences are already visible. The domestic transport sector is facing an accelerated shutdown of companies, while tens of thousands of jobs are in question. Estimates show that up to 20,000 jobs are directly at risk over the next 18 months.
“Paradoxically, at the same time, there is a serious shortage of drivers and a large number of unfilled jobs – precisely because of unsafe working conditions and an unclear legal framework,” the carrier’s representatives pointed out.
Sector message – timed out
The transport sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina no longer has room to wait. If the system that regulates entry and stay, such as the EES, does not guarantee basic legal security, a key question arises: under what conditions can domestic carriers operate in the European Union market?
In the coming period, clearer reactions from the sector are expected, as well as concrete moves towards domestic and international institutions.
“One thing is certain – the current model is no longer sustainable. The pressure on professional drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina continues – not through formal bans, but through operational practices that prevent them from working.
If even after proper entry into the EU there is no guarantee for the performance of work, the message is clear. It is time to call a spade a spade,” the Consortium concluded Independent newspaper.
