North Macedonian truck drivers block the Bogorodica border crossing with Greece near Gevgelija, January 26, 2026. Photo: EPA/GEORGI LICOVSKI.
Road freight companies across the Western Balkans erected road blockades on Monday in protest against the new European Union Entry-Exit System – EES, which was rolled out at the end of last year, and is designed to strengthen security for travellers from non-EU countries.
Western Balkan transport operators say the ETIAS rules and other EU regulations could threaten their competitiveness and reduce their income. Drivers say the rules will create operational and administrative burdens that could force many out of work.
At the protest in Montenegro, held at nine border crossings and the port of Bar, 137 registered freight companies with several hundred drivers organised into groups, the Association of International Freight Transporters of Montenegro told the media.
Similar protests were launched on Tuesday by operators in Bosnia, Serbia and North Macedonia, who blocked roads leading to neighbouring EU countries.
In Serbia, where all crossings from the Serbian side were blocked, Nedjo Mandic from the Association of Transporters of Serbia told media that the first request is that negotiations with the European Commission actually begin. “Invite us to negotiate, with a commitment to find a compromise within the next 60 days. During that time, don’t arrest our drivers, don’t deport them if they come in with all the necessary and correct documentation and don’t break the rules,” Mandic told N1 after the blockade started.
In North Macedonia, starting on Monday at noon, some 370 trucks owned by freight carriers blocked freight traffic at all border crossings in the country, effectively stopping traffic to the European Union and transit through the region.
According to transport carriers in North Macedonia, passenger traffic has continued uninterrupted at all border crossings and the police said it will ensure it stays this way.
Blockading freight carriers across the region said that only trucks carrying medicines, livestock and maybe explosives or ammunition will be allowed to pass while their blockades last.
The Logistics Consortium of Bosnia and Herzegovina said 100 professional drivers have already been forcibly returned from EU countries, while 47 have lost their jobs due to residence-related problems. Authorities in Germany, Austria, Poland and other EU states confirmed that only on January 21 they processed another 100 deportation cases. Over the past year, Germany has deported 100 drivers solely because of their work status.
The Consortium explained that “forced return” means that legally employed drivers with valid contracts and documents are declared illegal residents and expelled, despite posing no security or migration risk and working solely in international road transport.
The Consortium called on Bosnian domestic institutions to urgently align their position with the European Commission and rejected claims that the problem is linked to the EU’s Entry/Exit System, EES.
“The problem facing professional drivers has nothing to do with the EES system. There is no technical reason to justify deportations or entry bans,” the Consortium said. It accused the European Commission of avoiding responsibility by issuing vague and formal responses.
Ahead of the protests, on Saturday, Majda Gorcevic, Montenegro’s Minister of European Affairs, said the government is closely monitoring the sector’s concerns and stressed that the ETIAS rules affect the entire region.
“The Ministry of European Affairs has already initiated communication with the European Commission regarding the application of the ETIAS [European Travel Authorisation System] Regulation and has received assurances that a joint platform with Western Balkan partners and the Directorate-General for Home Affairs will be established as soon as possible, in order to begin discussions on this issue and reach an acceptable and sustainable solution”, Gorcevic wrote on X. She warned that the strike could disrupt international road transport and supply chains.
Montenegrin drivers also demand full reimbursement of the fuel excise tax, which they say “has been reduced from 18 to 11 euro cents per litre, while the full tax amounts are fully reimbursed in neighboring countries”. They say faster VAT refunds and extended inspection hours at customs would also help sustain operations. Importers and traders said they had secured additional supplies of goods and fuel ahead of the strike and do not expect immediate shortages.
In Kosovo, which borders Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia, where blockades are in effect, the National Centre for Border Management told truck drivers on Sunday about the planned blockades and warned that they “will affect the circulation of transport vehicles and goods and overload traffic in the border areas with the countries of the region that have been involved in the protests”.
The protests are scheduled to last seven days, with the possibility of being halted if a solution is found.
