Professional drivers organized by the domestic transport association Makam-Trans held a protest Monday from 12 pm to 2 pm in front of the headquarters of the Delegation of the European Union in Skopje, demanding a solution to the problem of the limited stay of professional drivers in the Schengen zone. The protest is a warning ahead of Tuesday’s meeting of the Working Group in Brussels, from which transporters expect a solution to their status after facing problems due to the EU’s 90/180 rule, according to which third-country nationals can stay for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period.
Around 20 trucks from Skopje will be parked at the EU Delegation in Skopje during the protest, in the presence of transport company owners, drivers and other employees from several parts of the country. At the same time, transporters’ protests will also be held in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
The Makam-Trans association says the protest is a warning to the European Union, which they say has not shown good will to overcome the problem in the past seven months, even though the visa strategy recognizes drivers as professionals who perform their duties. Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski said last week that the Government is doing everything in its power to help the professional drivers, such as concluding bilateral agreements with countries in the Schengen zone.
