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Thousands of Bosnian truck drivers halted deliveries across the country on Monday, threatening to block goods until their demands for more flexible travel conditions and greater support within the European Union are met.
Around 6,000 drivers disrupted much of the Balkan nation’s deliveries, bringing traffic to a standstill and creating jams across major roads, as they pressed for better conditions in the EU, Bosnia’s main export market.
Traffic stoppages were reported near Tuzla, Doboj, Prnjavor, Mostar, Sarajevo and at several border crossings.
The Auto Motor Club of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIHAMK) said cargo terminals at the Izacic, Velika Kladusa, Kamensko, and Raca border crossings were blocked, with parked trucks causing massive tailbacks.
The EU accounted for about 64% of Bosnia’s foreign trade in 2024, according to official figures, with over 90% of goods transported by road.
“We have halted our supply chains throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Velibor Peulic of the country’s main truckers’ association, Konzorcijum logistika BiH.
He said the union had already prevented about 4,000 tonnes of goods from reaching Sarajevo.
The protesters’ demands include ending alleged discrimination against Bosnian drivers in the EU and enforcing the European Agreement on the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport (AETR), which sets rules on drivers’ hours, breaks, and rest times.
For months, industry representatives—with between 15,000 and 18,000 drivers—have urged authorities to negotiate with the EU to revise a rule they call “discriminatory.”
Under the current system, their stay in the bloc is limited to 90 days within 180 days, the same as tourists.
The rule dates back to 2008, when Bosnia signed a trade and aid pact with the EU, the first formal step toward membership in the political and economic bloc.
Drivers are demanding either an exemption from the 90-day rule or that visits be measured in hours instead of days.
“Once the supply chains are shut down, it will be visible in every city… We hope that the ministries will start doing their job as of today,” Peulic said.
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Around 10 lorry border crossings were blocked, most on the frontier with EU member Croatia, according to BIHAMK.
Although the truckers said their aim was not to block road traffic, the action caused significant delays at the entrances to several cities, including Sarajevo, BIHAMK reported.
Bosnia’s Ministry of Communications and Transport said it is not responsible for excise duties, customs regimes or tolls.
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