Truck drivers in two of the four Balkan states protesting against the EU’s tightened entry-exit rules stepped back on Thursday, easing some pressure on major cargo routes, while colleagues in Bosnia and Serbia kept their lines of trucks in place.
Montenegro and North Macedonia ended blockades on borders with Greece, Bulgaria and at the Adriatic port of Bar, with North Macedonian hauliers saying they would clear freight lanes by Thursday evening.
The Bar blockade had prompted concerns over possible fuel shortages.
Drivers launched their protests on Monday over the EU’s stricter enforcement of Schengen stay limits, saying the rules expose them to detention or deportation and add hundreds of millions of euros to operating costs.
They have urged their governments to push Brussels to adapt the system for professions that depend on constant cross-border travel.
The EU on Thursday adopted what it described as its first visa strategy, offering more flexibility for highly mobile workers such as truck drivers, athletes and touring artists.
“This is particularly relevant for professional drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans region,” Luigi Soreca, the EU’s ambassador in Bosnia, wrote on X.
But Serbian and Bosnian truckers said the new language from Brussels did not meet their demands.
“These statements do not fulfil our demands nor resolve our problems,” said Zijad Saric, a Bosnian transporter and protest organiser.
At Serbia’s Batrovci crossing with EU member Croatia, a mile-long queue of trucks remained in place on Thursday, blocking access to the cargo terminal.
Serbia’s Chamber of Commerce chief Marko Cadez said 93% of exports from the four protesting countries were halted, inflicting about €92 million in daily losses.
EU-based companies operating in or exporting to the region have also been hit.
“For every company it is about €10,000 to €50,000 per day in penalties as they are not servicing customers,” Cadez told Reuters in Belgrade.
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Georgia’s path towards European Union membership is facing its most serious crisis to date, with senior European lawmakers warning that the country is now a “candidate in name only” and accusing the ruling government of reversing democratic progress and drifting away from Europe.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (24 February) urged Ukraine’s allies to maintain their backing as the war with Russia entered its fourth year, with divisions among European partners overshadowing anniversary commemorations.
Tensions in the region remained high on Tuesday (10 March), as the United States and Iran exchanged increasingly sharp warnings, including threats over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Kazakhstan has evacuated more than 7,300 citizens from the Middle East since regional tensions escalated, using both air and land routes to bring nationals home while closely monitoring political developments and potential economic effects linked to rising oil prices.
Almost 2,000 people have been evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan since conflict erupted in the Middle East.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
The first batch of Peter Mandelson’s papers on his 2024 ambassadorial appointment is set to be published on Wednesday, following a parliamentary order. The release comes amid police investigations over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
At least six people have died after a bus caught fire in Kerzers, Switzerland, in what police say may have been a deliberate act. Witnesses reported a man inside the vehicle set himself alight. Three others were injured and taken to hospital, while authorities continue their investigation.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 11th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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