Sofronijevic: Our drivers are neither criminals nor tourists—They must be allowed to work normally

Serbia’s Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Aleksandra Sofronijevic visited transport operators today at the Batrovci border crossing, where they have been blocking the freight terminal since yesterday in protest over the new Entry/Exit System (EES), in order to provide both her personal support and that of the state. Sofronijevic stressed that professional drivers are neither criminals, nor tourists, nor migrants, and that they must be allowed to carry out their work normally.

“I came to the Batrovci border crossing to express my clear support—not only my own, but to let them know that the entire state stands with its transport operators,” Sofronijevic said in a video posted on Instagram.

She noted that the problem is not new, dating back to 2014, but that it has now escalated to the point where domestic professional drivers are being detained, arrested, and deported from Schengen countries.

“For these reasons, when the problem began to intensify, the Government of Serbia sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as early as June last year, which we reiterated in recent days. In addition, a meeting was held with the EU Ambassador to Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath, and a non-paper was handed over proposing certain short-term measures, as well as permanent long-term solutions,” the minister said.

She expressed the expectation that the European Commission, according to announcements from Brussels, would hold a meeting by the end of the week at which this issue would also be discussed, adding that she hopes it will yield results.

“The state will not abandon this issue. Serbia is not alone this time, as three other Balkan countries—Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia—are facing the same problem. Our chambers of commerce have joined forces, and we all have one goal: to ensure that our professional drivers, who are neither criminals nor tourists nor migrants, are allowed to perform their work normally,” Sofronijevic said.

Transport operators from Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have been blocking freight terminals since noon yesterday in protest against the application of the new European Entry/Exit System (EES), which they say is causing them serious difficulties.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said earlier today that the transport operators are simply fighting for their rights and noted that he has already asked relevant officials in the European Union to take their demands into account.

In an analysis published by Kosovo Online several days ago, representatives of transport operators from Serbia and the region warned that the application of the EES could seriously endanger the Western Balkans, effectively closing the doors of the Schengen area to them in practice.

President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Marko Cadez pointed out that the damage to the economies of the Western Balkans amounts to €100 million per day.