Western Balkans truck drivers threaten border blockades over EU 90‑day stay rule

Drivers from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia say the European Commission has ignored their request to lift the 90‑day stay limit for professional truck drivers in the Schengen area. The rule, introduced in October 2025 to curb irregular migration, treats drivers like tourists, allowing a maximum of 90 days stay within any 180‑day period. Drivers claim a temporary agreement reached on 10 April 2026, which was supposed to reset the count, is not being respected, leading to repeated deportations and truck detentions at borders such as Croatia, Hungary and Romania.

In response, the transport associations have scheduled an urgent regional meeting for 11 August in North Macedonia and warned they will organise mass protests and block border crossings if the EU does not provide a solution. The European Commission has indicated that key officials, including directors of the EU Directorate‑General for Mobility and Transport, are on holiday until 12 August, delaying talks. The dispute threatens to disrupt cross‑border freight flows and cause multimillion‑euro losses for the Western Balkans transport sector.