Truckers and farmers at Balkan border crossings are threatening fresh disruption this winter over the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System for the Schengen area, just months before the main summer holiday season.

With North Macedonian freight carriers announcing blockades to protest how the system applies to professional drivers, and Greek farmers repeatedly shutting key crossings into Bulgaria and Turkey, many travellers are asking whether long queues of lorries now could translate into headaches at the border for tourists driving to Greece, Croatia or beyond later this year.

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What is the Entry/Exit System and why truckers are angry

The Entry/Exit System, usually shortened to EES, is a large EU border project designed to replace manual passport stamping for non EU nationals entering or leaving the Schengen area with a digital record. It logs biometric details such as facial images and fingerprints, as well as time and place of entry and exit, in a central database. The goal is to tighten external border security, track overstays more accurately and speed up routine checks once the system is bedded in.

The scheme, which has faced repeated delays, finally went live in the Schengen zone in October 2025, according to authorities in several member states. For most tourists from the United Kingdom, United States and other non EU countries, it essentially formalises the existing rule that allows visa free visits of up to 90 days in any rolling 180 day period. Their time spent inside Schengen is now tallied automatically, without relying on border guards remembering to stamp passports correctly.

Professional drivers from Balkan states just outside Schengen say that for them, the effect is very different. Freight operators in North Macedonia argue that applying the 90 days in 180 rule strictly to long haul truckers who are constantly crossing in and out of the zone for work will make regular international routes practically impossible. They point out that a driver can reach the 90 day limit within a few months of shuttling cargo between non EU Balkan countries and EU ports or logistics hubs.

North Macedonia’s Interior Ministry confirmed that freight crossings at several border points would be blocked from the middle of the day on Monday 26 January 2026, as carriers stage a coordinated protest specifically against how the new EES limits professional drivers’ stays in Schengen. Passenger cars and buses are expected to be allowed through, but lorry traffic is being halted to put pressure on Brussels and neighbouring EU states.

From freight protests to border blockades: where tensions are rising

The North Macedonian action comes on the heels of a separate wave of farmer led protests that have intermittently paralysed land routes into Greece since late November 2025. Greek farmers, angered by delayed EU backed subsidy payments after a corruption scandal in the country’s farm payment agency, have rolled tractors onto highways and customs approaches, repeatedly blocking crossings to Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Turkey.

Greek farmers have staged eight hour and even 48 hour blockades for heavy trucks at major northern checkpoints such as Promachonas on the Bulgarian border, Exochi near Gotse Delchev and Evzoni on the road from Skopje. At times the closure has extended to almost all freight over 12 tons, with only cars and buses allowed to pass. Reports from December and early January described tailbacks of hundreds of lorries and drivers stranded for days as protesters allowed only vehicles carrying perishable goods to move.

Bulgarian border authorities have repeatedly warned of “difficulties at all Bulgarian Greek border checkpoints” due to the farmer actions. On 30 December, they flagged suspended lorry traffic at Kapitan Petko Voyvoda on the route to Ormenio in northern Greece and a full closure to freight at Ilinden Exochi. Earlier this month they reported a complete 48 hour halt for trucks at the busy Kulata Promachonas crossing, even as car and bus passengers were still able to travel.

Hauliers in Bulgaria say they have already suffered heavy financial losses as a result, with transport companies reporting missed ferry connections from Thessaloniki and drivers stuck in kilometres long queues. Carrier associations there are urging their government to push the issue at EU level. Many of those same operators now fear that if the North Macedonian protest over EES grows, the entire ring of borders linking the Western Balkans to the Schengen zone could become a patchwork of rolling blockades.

Could freight blockades spill over into the summer season?

For holidaymakers planning to drive to the Greek islands, the Adriatic coast or central Europe in June, July or August 2026, the immediate question is whether these winter and early spring stand offs are a taste of what is to come. Transport unions in North Macedonia have signalled that their protest has no fixed end date and may escalate if there is no response from Brussels. Greek farmer leaders have used similar language, warning of wider and longer blockades if their subsidy demands are not met.

Historically, major Balkan road protests linked to fuel prices, tolls or subsidies have often had an on and off character, with organisers periodically opening borders to clear queues before resuming pressure. The current Greek farmer movement has already shown that pattern, with some crossings reopening early to ease congestion before new closures are announced. That suggests that entirely sealed borders for cars over high summer remain unlikely, but does not rule out serious disruption on peak weekends when protesters decide to increase leverage.

What is new in 2026 is the additional layer of anger over the EES rules for professional drivers from non Schengen Balkan countries such as North Macedonia and, to a lesser extent, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Carriers say that unless an exemption or special regime for truckers is agreed, they will face chronic staffing problems and higher costs. That creates an incentive to keep the issue alive throughout the year, including during the tourist season when authorities are most sensitive to complaints from foreign visitors and hotel businesses.

Tourism destinations that rely heavily on road arrivals such as northern Greece, Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast or Croatia’s Dalmatian resorts all experienced sharp rebounds in international guest numbers in 2024 and 2025. They are expecting another strong season in 2026. Any sign that slow moving truck blockades might back up regular traffic at border posts could prompt hoteliers and national tourism boards to pile pressure on transport ministries to resolve the EES dispute quickly, or at least to ring fence passenger lanes from industrial action.

How EES could change your experience at the border

Even without protests, the launch of the Entry/Exit System is expected to change the way non EU travellers pass through Schengen’s external borders this year. Initial tests and pilot phases at some airports and land crossings suggest that first time registration, which involves taking fingerprints and facial images as well as scanning passports, can take significantly longer than a quick visual check and manual stamp. Officials have warned of teething problems and longer queues at some entry points as staff and systems adjust.

At airports, many countries are installing automated kiosks where visitors can pre register their details, then see a border guard who validates the data and grants entry. On land borders, especially those in the Balkans that handle a mix of freight, coaches and private cars, the logistics are more complicated. Limited space for new equipment, older infrastructure and existing bottlenecks at key crossings suggest that early implementation may be bumpy.

For tourists driving from non EU states like the United Kingdom through non Schengen countries such as Serbia or North Macedonia into Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary or Greece, that means planning for extra time at their first Schengen border post. If this coincides with a trucker or farmer protest that has already created long queues of lorries, the risk is that even a dedicated passenger lane could become congested as customs staff are diverted to manage the situation and road space is physically blocked by parked trucks and tractors.

Once you are inside Schengen, EES should not affect your movements during a short holiday, as long as your total stay in the zone does not exceed 90 days within any 180 day window. The main change most visitors will notice is on the way out, when biometric data collected at first entry allows a faster exit check. However, for those making multiple trips a year by car, especially via the same Balkan land crossings, the system will now keep a precise record of time spent in Schengen, leaving far less room for error or discretion if you approach the 90 day limit.

Which routes and travellers are most at risk of disruption?

The immediate impact of the North Macedonian and Greek border actions falls squarely on freight transport. Professional drivers and logistics firms using the corridors that link Thessaloniki and Athens to Skopje, Sofia and Istanbul are bearing the brunt of the blockades. If protests remain targeted in this way, many leisure travellers will only be indirectly affected, perhaps encountering unusually long lines of trucks parked on approach roads but still being waved through relatively quickly.

The situation is most sensitive for those planning road trips that rely heavily on the same crossings and highways as international freight. Popular driving routes from central Europe to the Aegean, such as via Serbia and North Macedonia to Evzoni and then on to Halkidiki or the islands, or via Bulgaria to Kulata Promachonas for the Thessaloniki region, overlap almost completely with heavy goods traffic. When farmers or carriers close these border points even partially, cars can still face significant delays, especially at weekends and the start or end of school holidays.

Motorhome and campervan travellers, who often plan longer stays and spend more time outside major resorts, may also feel the knock on effects of EES more keenly. Those who roam across the Schengen and non Schengen parts of the Balkans for weeks at a time will need to track their days carefully to avoid overstaying, as the digital system leaves little room for ambiguity. In a scenario where border checks tighten in response to protests, border guards may be more inclined to enforce the rules to the letter.

Air travellers heading directly into Schengen airports in Croatia, Greece, Italy or Slovenia are less exposed to the immediate fallout from Balkan road blockades. Their main challenge will be any initial delays caused by the introduction of EES itself at busy terminals. Cruise passengers using EU ports are in a similar position. For them, the industrial action by truckers and farmers is more likely to show up as temporary shortages of imported goods or higher prices than as a direct obstacle to arrival and departure.

How authorities and the tourism industry are responding

So far, responses from national governments and EU institutions to the trucker concerns over EES have been cautious. Officials maintain that applying the 90 days in 180 rule to all non EU nationals is a core principle of the system and that any permanent exemption for one professional group could undermine its credibility. At the same time, they have signalled a willingness to discuss practical arrangements, such as rotating drivers more frequently or issuing specific visas for those on long haul routes, to ease the immediate pressure.

In Greece, the government has taken a slightly firmer line with farmers threatening long term blockades of motorways and customs posts. While ministers have repeatedly said they are open to dialogue on subsidy payments and other grievances, they have also insisted that key transit routes, ports and airports cannot be allowed to remain shut for extended periods. Police have occasionally used force, including tear gas, to prevent protesters from sealing access to critical infrastructure such as Thessaloniki’s airport.

Tourism boards in Greece and neighbouring countries have been keen to reassure potential visitors that the current disruptions are localised and mainly affect freight. Their messaging emphasises that airports, ferry ports and most passenger road traffic have continued to operate, even during the most intense phases of blockades. Hoteliers in northern Greece and southern Bulgaria, however, have quietly voiced concern that prolonged unrest at the borders could deter self drive tourists from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Balkans themselves.

As the 2026 summer season approaches, there are signs that the hospitality sector will push more forcefully for contingency plans. These could include creating clearly separated lanes for tourist vehicles at affected crossings, deploying additional police and customs staff at peak times, and negotiating agreed “corridors” through protests where convoys of cars and buses are periodically allowed to pass. The effectiveness of such steps will depend on the willingness of protest leaders to cooperate and on how far tensions over EES and farm policy escalate.

What travellers can realistically expect in summer 2026

Given the moving parts, it is impossible to predict precisely how the situation at Balkan borders will look in July and August. The most plausible scenario, based on recent experience, is one of intermittent disruption rather than a complete shutdown. Freight focused blockades may continue to flare up as carriers and farmers seek leverage in their negotiations, but authorities are likely to prioritise keeping passenger traffic flowing, particularly as tourism peaks.

For travellers driving from non EU or non Schengen countries into the Schengen zone through the Balkans, the prudent approach is to assume that EES introduction will lengthen border procedures this year, even in the absence of protests. Building in generous buffers for long distance drives, avoiding tight same day connections to ferries or flights wherever possible, and travelling outside the busiest weekend windows can all reduce the risk of holiday plans being derailed by an unexpected tailback.

Staying flexible will also help. Having alternative routes mapped out, such as diverting via Romania and Bulgaria rather than Serbia and North Macedonia, or choosing an overnight ferry from Italy to Greece instead of a long overland drive, can provide options if a specific crossing becomes gridlocked. Keeping a close eye on official border police updates and local news in the days before departure will remain essential, as the pattern of blockades can change rapidly.

For now, the emerging truckers’ blockade over EES looks more like a serious warning shot than a guaranteed threat to summer holidays. But it highlights how a technical change in the way Europe manages its borders can have very real consequences on the ground, especially in a region where freight corridors and tourist routes are tightly intertwined. Travellers who understand the new system, follow developments and allow extra margin for delay will be best placed to enjoy their Balkan journeys if the simmering disputes at the borders continue into the warmer months.