By Fatos Bytyci
Gevgelija, North Macedonia, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Truck drivers across four Western Balkan countries began a blockade of border cargo terminals on Monday in protest over restrictive EU entry rules that have left drivers facing deportation for exceeding Schengen visit limits.
The blockade was halting transport through a critical corridor that links the EU with Turkey and the Middle East.
More than 100 truck drivers were deported last year for exceeding the 90 days they were allowed to stay in the EU, with another 100 deportations announced last week, said Bosnia’s Logistika, which represents 47,000 workers.
In Gevgelija, the biggest border crossing between Greece and North Macedonia, around 100 trucks with North Macedonia’s flags blocked the cargo terminal. Drivers from Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia blocked borders in their respective countries.
The truckers demand an extension to how long they are allowed to stay in the Schengen free travel area, as with the large amounts of freight they transport, they reach the visit limit quickly.
“It’s putting our economy at risk and the whole Balkans economy at risk. The drivers may lose their jobs, the transport companies will shut down,” Filip Stojanov, a 26-year old truck driver from North Macedonia, said in English.
(Additional reporting by Ivana Serkularac in Belgrade and Daria Sito-Sucic in Sarajevo; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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