Linkaits: Bilateral Agreements Could Solve Problems Professional Drivers Face with Stay Duration Limits in EU

Rally Of Professional Drivers/Trucks(BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

Bilateral agreements between European Union member countries and Western Balkan nations allowing professional drivers long-term visas may be a short-term solution for the problems they face with limited stay times in the Schengen Area, Talis Linkais, director of the Transport Community's Permanent Secretariat, said on Sept. 18.

The short-term solution is to have bilateral talks between neighboring or interested countries that want to ensure truck drivers have long-term visas at least bilaterally to facilitate trade between the countries, Linkaits told BETA in Zabljak, where he took part in the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.

He said the Transport Community recognizes the problem that certain truckers from the Western Balkans face because of a rule stating that citizens of countries outside the European Union may spend no more than 90 days in an 180 day period in the Schengen Area. It is not in our jurisdiction to solve Schengen rules, but there can still be bilateral agreements with interested member states to ensure cross-border trade is unimpeded, Linkaits said.

For months, truck drivers from Western Balkan countries have been calling attention to the problems that they face with international transport due to said rule limiting the amount of time they can spend in the Schengen Area to 90 in a 180-day period. Professional drivers want their stays to be treated differently from tourist visits, as the nature of their work requires them to spend large amounts of time on EU soil. The representatives of truckers and authorities of countries in the region have discussed possible solutions, including long-term visas and special regimes for professional drivers, with EU institutions.