Borders Buckling Under the Burden: Kilometers of Trucks and Millions of Lost Hours, Serbia Seeks a Solution with the EU

Europe is introducing a new generation of digital borders, but for the economy of the Western Balkans, the problem remains the same — goods are still stuck in lines of trucks, while the damage is measured in millions of hours and euros. Ranko Sekularac from the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure told RTS that the state will continue talks with the European Union on speeding up border procedures, as well as efforts to suppress illegal transport and regulate platforms that mediate the organization of passenger transport.

While Europe is rapidly closing gaps in its security system and digitalizing its borders, the Western Balkans are entering the summer with an old problem — kilometers of trucks, lines of cars, and billions leaking away while goods sit idle.

Since April, the new European EES electronic entry-exit control system has been fully operational, changing the way Serbian citizens, and especially professional drivers, enter the EU.

At a time when global trade is facing new pressures, the speed of border crossings has become a matter of competitiveness for the entire economy. And while the state is trying to accelerate the legal flow of goods and people, the gray zone of transport is also growing in parallel.

Ranko Sekularac from the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure told RTS that the economy is suffering major losses due to long waiting times at border crossings between the Western Balkans and the European Union.

Trucks spend between 26 and 28 million hours annually at border crossings.

This directly leads to losses in economic growth, not only for Serbia but also for European Union countries, Sekularac said.

He identified the Batrovci and Horgos border crossings as the most burdened, emphasizing that the problem cannot be solved solely at the national level.

- This problem largely goes beyond our own backyard. It must be resolved at the level of the European Union and the European Commission, and we, as the Government of the Republic of Serbia and as a ministry, are in intensive communication with the European Union and the European Commission, specifically with the EU ambassador to Serbia. I believe we will soon arrive at some solutions - Sekularac said.

According to him, the introduction of the EES system and biometric identification of crossings has caused additional slowdowns.

- Our drivers are not tourists or migrants. This is their workplace, and they should not be treated as a security risk - Sekularac stressed.

He added that Serbia is in intensive communication with the European Commission and member states so that professional drivers could receive special status when crossing borders.

- We have submitted proposed solutions to multiple addresses and are seeking models that would enable a faster flow of goods and people - he stated.

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

Ranko Sekularac

EES system