Croatia's Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure has not received any official notification from the Serbian Infrastructure Ministry about applying bans on the transport of goods by Croatian hauliers from third countries to Serbia.
The Croatian ministry said in a statement on Thursday that it does not expect the worsening of relations between Croatia and Serbia regarding road haulage but that it expects the removal of the blockade regarding the prospective transport of transformers of the Croatian Koncar company which are still on railway stations in Belgrade and Novi Sad.
The Koncar transformers should be transported by the Zagrebtrans haulage company to their final destinations which are only several kilometres far from the railway stations.
The Croatian ministry believes in a successful outcome of the current situation and in restoration of a positive climate and renewal of cooperation regarding road transport between Croatia and Serbia.
The issue of cabotage rights for Croatian and Serbian hauliers has come into the limelight recently with media reports that Serbian hauliers called on the relevant Serbian ministry to abolish the universal character of licences issued to Croatian hauliers, which would make it impossible for Croatians to transport goods from third countries to Serbia.
According to the media, Serbian companies insisted on this move in response to the Croatian transport ministry's decision to freeze 12,000 bilateral licences for Serb hauliers for international transport through Croatia in 2008 after the Serbian haulage company Bora Kecic prevented Zagrebtrans from transporting the above mentioned transformers commissioned by the Serbian Elektromreza power company.
The media also report that hauliers in Serbia have already consumed 45,000 licences for this year and that they would need an additional 12,000 licences for transit through Croatia.
In the meantime, Serbian hauliers have said that the Serbian ministry agreed with them, but no decision has been yet made to this effect.
(Hina)