The complete section of the expressway near Gradiška, from the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina to the highway Zagreb – Belgrade, could be completed before BiH. authorities open their border crossing on the road between the two countries. According to the information we received from “Hrvatske cesta”, the project’s investor, the second phase of the section from Novi Varoš to the highway, which is also being built by the Banja Luka company “Integral inženjering”, will be completed in the third quarter, which means in the fall. They also confirmed to us that the first section of this road, which was built at the end of last year, is still closed to traffic.
There is no talk of a transition
On the other hand, we were told unofficially in several institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina that no one is even talking about solving the problem with the border crossing with Bosnia and Herzegovina. sides. The Ministry of Security of BiH explained to us yesterday that they have prepared the solution for opening the crossing and that they are waiting for information from the Administration for Indirect Taxation of BiH that the ordinance has been changed that will enable the employment of customs officers at that terminal. According to what we were told, practically only the opening date will be written into the existing solution, when it is determined.
In the ITA, we were told unofficially that the Management Board of this institution does not even meet because the decision on the legitimacy of the Government of Republika Srpska, led by Savo Minic, is pending. We were told that there are a number of important issues that are not being resolved at the moment, and that the issue of opening the border crossing is only one of them.
As a reminder, the crossing was supposed to be opened in mid-December, immediately after the construction of the first phase of the expressway from the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina to Novi Varoš, but Zijad Krnjić, a member of the Management Board of the ITA of Bosnia and Herzegovina, blocked the amendment of the rulebook. Then, as a condition for a positive vote, he asked for a regular session of the Board of Directors, and after that, the question of harmonizing the coefficients of tax revenue distribution appeared as a condition.
Less and less readiness for solutions
The assessment is that, as the general elections in October approach, there will be less and less willingness to look for solutions, so it is certain that there will be less and less chance to solve this problem, which may lead to a realistic scenario in which Croatia will finish four kilometers of expressway with two lanes on each side sooner than BiH will adopt a decision on placing a dozen customs officers at one customs terminal.
Lost international credibility
In addition to the investment of around one hundred million euros in the complete project, BiH is also losing its international credibility because an important international corridor, for which the EU has given grants and favorable loans, is standing still due to internal problems. The EU gave a 3.3 million euro grant for the Sava bridge near Gradiška, as well as a grant for the Banjaluka-Gradiška highway, which is part of this corridor.
By the way, the first phase, which is fully ready for use as soon as the border crossing is opened, cost “Croatian Roads” 47.7 million euros, and the bridge on the Sava cost BiH and Croatia an additional thirty million euros. In addition, the third phase, from Novi Varoš to the highway Zagreb – Belgrade, will cost an additional 12 million euros.
This road should be part of a corridor that should connect the north of Croatia via Banja Luka with central Bosnia and further south in the future connect the southern part of Croatia with the east, they write. Independent newspaper.
