Trucks stuck at Croatian border in EU accession glitch

(BELGRADE) - Trucks were backed up for 15-kilometres (nine-miles) at Serbia's border with Croatia on Tuesday as Croatian customs officers struggled with technical problems linked to the country joining the EU on July 1st.

Some 1,200 drivers from Balkan countries and beyond were stuck at the Batrovci border crossing, waiting for the Croatian customs system to be successfully synchronised with the European Union network.

In a statement, the Serbian Interior Ministry urged truck drivers to use other border crossings until the situation was back to normal.

In Zagreb, the Customs Administration said that with Croatia's EU entry "occasional traffic jams are to be expected."

The situation was expected to normalise within 48 hours, border police chief Djordje Bordjoski said.

Other vehicles could pass the border without problems.

Croatia officially joined European Union on July 1, becoming its 28th member.