[Ognen Teofilovski/Reuters]
North Macedonia truck drivers lifted their border blockades with Greece on Thursday following an announcement by the European Commission that it would revise its enforcement of EU entry regulations.
The protests, which began Monday, involved truck drivers from North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro at their respective Schengen Area border crossings.
Drivers blocked crossings with Schengen states and neighboring countries to protest the stricter enforcement of the EU’s 90-day limit for non-EU citizens in the Schengen Area, which they say disrupts their work. Passenger vehicles and buses were not affected.
Makamtrans, North Macedonia’s transporters’ association representing professional truck drivers and freight carriers, confirmed Thursday that the country’s border blockades had ended. Earlier in the day, a Montenegrin association had announced the lifting of its blockade.
The European Commission said it intends to adopt a new visa strategy aimed at addressing the challenges faced by professional drivers from non-EU countries.
The move followed the rollout of the EU’s electronic entry and exit system (EES) in October, which modernizes border management and ensures full compliance with rules permitting non-EU citizens to stay inside Europe’s free-travel Schengen Area for only 90 days out of any 180-day period.
Full implementation is expected by April to monitor legal stays and prevent unauthorized migration.
Drivers argue that frequent cross-border deliveries make it easy to exceed the 90-day limit, resulting in detentions and deportations. They have called for exemptions for professional truckers to allow uninterrupted work while maintaining compliance with EU regulations. [AMNA]