Gradina , Jan. 26 2026 (BETAPHOTO/SASA DJORDJEVIC)
Representatives of the transportation ministries of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia are scheduled to have an online meeting with European Commission (EC) officials on Feb. 3, to discuss potential solutions for the Schengen Area entry rules for professional truck drivers.
For this meeting, representatives of freight carriers will be included in the working teams of these ministries.
The carriers claim that some European countries are still arresting and deporting drivers even after they ended their four-day blockade of the cargo terminals at border crossings last week.
According to them, although the EC has announced a change to the visa regime for professional drivers and some other professionals, it is unclear when it will be adopted or applied, and whether it will require approval of all 29 Schengen Area member countries.
The freight carriers propose that professional drivers be issued an electronic visa card, which would be valid for at least one year and used for registering their entries in the Schengen Area.
The EC has adopted a new visa strategy, which will also consider a special visa regime for freight carriers, allowing them to stay in the Schengen Area more than 90 days in any 180-day period, without possessing a work or residence permit, but with enforcement of strict control and clearly defined rules.
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