Overview
- Drivers from Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro have launched coordinated blockades at crossings with Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria, with actions also reported at Greece’s Evzoni and Montenegro’s port of Bar.
- Police granted a provisional 72-hour authorization for the Bar blockade, and organizers say protests will continue until Brussels agrees to discuss exemptions for professional drivers.
- Protest coordinators claim about 75,000 trucks are participating, with some Turkish carriers joining the actions.
- The European Commission says it is aware of the situation, is monitoring developments, and is in contact with partners in the region.
- The EES introduced since October records biometrics and exact stay durations, leading to stricter enforcement of the 90/180 rule as freight groups report deportations and warn of supply-chain risks to a region that does roughly 60% of its external trade with the EU.