The European Commission says persistent bottlenecks at Serbia’s border crossings with EU member states impose hidden costs on exporters. Its Serbia 2026 Report, dated 4 November 2026, says delays and non-tariff barriers continue to affect trade flows.
For manufacturers with just-in-time supply chains, border delays require larger inventories, cause missed delivery windows, reduce truck utilisation and increase working-capital needs. The Commission says these effects become more significant as labour and energy costs rise. In a supply-chain economy, time at the border functions like an additional tariff.
The report identifies logistics efficiency as one of the few areas where Serbia can offset a shrinking cost advantage without cutting wages. Faster crossings would improve the economics of automotive, machinery, food and other sectors that rely on frequent deliveries to EU customers.
The Commission notes progress in customs digitalisation and the expansion of the regional EU-Western Balkans Green Lanes. It describes digital customs exchange and the Green Lanes as useful, but says infrastructure alone is not sufficient to resolve bottlenecks. Serbia and neighbouring EU states need coordinated staffing, data exchange and predictable procedures to improve border flows.
