The heads of Croatian and Slovenian chambers of trades and crafts met in Ljubljana to discuss the issue of traffic flow on border crossings between the two countries, after Slovenia had in June introduced a restriction which bars cargo transport for trucks weighing more than 7.5 tonnes on 17 border crossings, Croatian chamber said on Wednesday.

The decision forced Croatian haulers to use international crossings instead, which has resulted in higher expenses and longer transport times as well as traffic jams choking the two largest border crossings between the countries, Macelj and Bregana.

Slovenia said in June the weight restriction was intended to shift cargo transport from state roads to motorways in order to increase the safety and quality of life of the locals who live near the border.

However, Croatian haulers believe that the restriction came as a response to Croatia’s closing of the Mursko Sredisce border crossing for cargo trucks weighing more than 7.5 tonnes, in March this year. That decision, which aimed to solve the problem of cargo transport through the Mursko Sredisce town centre, was met with approval by the locals, but vocal criticism by the hauling companies, who claimed the alternative routes were costlier and took longer, causing delays in deliveries.

At the Ljubljana meeting, the leaders of Croatian and Slovenian chambers of trades and crafts, Dragutin Ranogajec and Branko Meh, agreed the problem demanded an urgent solution by the two governments, saying the restrictions, which effectively closed down a number of border crossings for cargo transport, have caused damage to both countries’ hauling businesses, but also the countries’ economies as a whole.

The interests of Slovenian and Croatian hauling companies are the same, so transport and supply between the two economies must be undisturbed, the officials concluded.