Markus Lamert said there were ways to find pragmatic solutions within the current Schengen rules, including applying for long-stay visas and residence permits or, in some limited cases, classifying drivers as cross-border workers.
He said the Commission was aware that some third-country workers who were not cross-border workers should be allowed to stay in the Schengen area for more than 90 days in any 180-day period, including highly mobile professions such as truck drivers, as well as athletes and artists. He added that national rules and bilateral agreements provided avenues for pragmatic solutions within the existing Schengen framework.
Western Balkan transport operators have been protesting for months following the introduction of the digital border control system, as their truck drivers are treated like other travellers when they enter a Schengen country. This means they are subject to the rule limiting third-country nationals to stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
The latest protest was held in Sarajevo on Monday, where professional drivers and transport operators from Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrated outside the headquarters of the Delegation of the European Union.
Transport operators argue that their drivers are neither tourists nor migrants and are calling for them to be exempted from the rule. Otherwise, they have threatened to step up protests and block border crossings.
So far, Croatia has been the only country to show an understanding of the concerns of professional drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, indicating that it is prepared to issue them long-stay visas valid for up to one year. Such visas, however, are not valid in other EU member states.
Croatia enabled the issuance of long-stay, or annual, visas for professional drivers by adopting amendments to its Foreigners Act in May.
Lamert stressed that the introduction of the Entry/Exit System had not brought in any new rules, as third-country nationals who are exempt from visa requirements have long been allowed to stay for no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
He said the system enabled better enforcement of rules and made what was happening at the EU's borders more transparent.
Lamert added that the Commission remained open to discussing what could be done within the existing rules, but stressed that the Schengen rules would continue to apply.