The President of the Transport Association at the Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of BiH, Dr. Safudin Čengić, participated in the international conference “ Enhancing Road and Rail Connectivity in the Adriatic-Ionian Region”, held on 18 and 19/06/2025 in Portorož, Slovenia. The conference was organized by the Forum of Adriatic-Ionian Chambers of Commerce (Forum AIC) in cooperation with important regional chambers of commerce and international transport institutions.
During his presentation, Dr. Čengić highlighted a number of concrete proposals related to the key challenges faced by transport operators from non-EU countries, with a special focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina. The two central topics he particularly emphasized were the visa regime for professional drivers (the so-called 90/180-day rule) and problems at border crossings between BiH and the EU.
In this context, Dr. Čengić launched initiatives at the level of EU institutions that would enable the exemption of professional drivers from the current regulation on the maximum permitted stay in the EU for citizens of non-EU countries, as well as a number of alternatives if full exemption is not possible.
Also emphasized was the need for:
• construction of additional traffic lanes for freight vehicles,
• unification of border crossings (so-called joint border posts),
• engagement of a larger number of customs and police officers during periods of increased traffic,
• redefining the status and functionality of BiH border crossings with Croatia, including the establishment of a larger number of them with complete inspection services.
Dr. Čengić also called on the EU member states that are part of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative – Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Greece – to use their influence within EU institutions and actively advocate for solving the problems faced by transport operators from the region.
These initiatives represent an important commitment to the interests of the transport sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also more broadly – as they point to the need for more equal treatment and better integration of candidate countries into common European transport policies.
Forum AIC recognized the importance of these initiatives and, among other things, stated: “Thank you for sharing very important initiatives and participating in the discussions during the conference. We greatly appreciate your active involvement and contribution to the topics of cross-border mobility and visa regimes, which are truly of strategic importance for the entire Adriatic-Ionian region.
Your proposals – especially those related to the visa regime for professional drivers and the facilitation of freight traffic at border crossings – point to key issues affecting the integration of non-EU countries into the regional transport and trade network.
We will ensure that your initiatives are presented to relevant stakeholders and taken into consideration within the upcoming meeting on 26/06/2025 in Ancona.”
We thank Forum AIC for the invitation and the opportunity to present the voice of the sector from BiH, especially in light of the initiatives presented, which are very important not only for our country, but for the entire region, as well as the EU.
