What will change for BiH drivers with Croatia’s entry into Schengen?
“Nothing will change when it comes to transportation of goods from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)Serbia and Montenegro, ” claimwith Customs Administration of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce for Radio Free Europe (RSE).
They said that the day after that country, December 8thbecame the 27th member state of the Schengen duty-free and visa-free area of European countries.
“In connection with the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the full Schengen area, we inform you that nothing changes at the external border with third countries regarding the customs procedures relevant for the entry of goods.,“, states the Customs Administration of the Croatian Ministry of Finance.
Since July 1, the Customs Administration of the Republic of Croatia has been operating in 13 border customs offices on the external border of the European Union (EU).St2013. Since then, customs supervision has been carried out, as they state, in accordance with EU customs regulations.
The answer from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce is identical: “For carriers from third countries, everything remains the same as before. On the external borders of the EU, i.e. the borders of Croatia with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro will undergo border and customs control as before, with the exception that there will no longer be border control between Croatia and Slovenia and between Croatia and Hungary..“
Next year, the existing problem of limited stay in the Schengen zone for Serbian professional drivers and transport companies will increase, Aleksandar SpasicSecretary General of the International Transport Business Association, explained.
“When Croatia enters Schengen, the Serbian driver literally leaves Serbia in front of the house and automatically starts counting down those 90 days. Until now, this was not the case, and in Croatia we managed to save some of that time,” said Spasic.
None of the competent institutions and forwarders contacted in Montenegro responded journalistic inquiry about the expected changes in the movement of goods and people after Croatia’s entry into the Schengen area.
After the abolition of land and sea borders with the rest of the EU, it is planned that 26.03.th next year, Croatia will abolish air traffic controls with EU countries at airports.
The countries of the Schengen area carry out checks on goods and people entering and leaving the area, but do not have internal border controls, RSE reports.
E.Dz.