If BiH wants IPA funds by August 27, it needs to make investment plans for projects

The European Union Delegation and the Office of the EU Special Representative in BiH welcome the adoption of the BiH Transport Policy Framework for the period 2015-2030 in the BiH Parliament at the end of July, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

In recent years, the European Union has been paying increasing attention to connecting citizens and businesses across the European Union to promote sustainable economic growth. The European Union has expanded its efforts to include the Western Balkan countries, investing one billion euros over the next five years in the development and interconnection of transport and energy infrastructure. Already this year, more than 100 million euros are available as co-financing from pre-accession funds (IPA II) for all countries.

This financial assistance, along with the offer of further loans and investments, will be available for the upgrade or construction of parts of the Core Network, as agreed by the six Western Balkan countries. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, this Core Network includes the highway and railway route along Corridor Vc and the 2a highway from Gradiška through Banja Luka – connecting to Corridor Vc south of Zenica. This network also includes the ports of Šamac and Brčko on the Sava River, and Sarajevo International Airport.

Urgent project priorities in 2015 for BiH are focused on the construction of cross-border bridges at Svilaj and Gradiška (including border crossings and access roads).

The adoption of the BiH Transport Policy Framework in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH is one of the two immediate prerequisites for accessing European Union funds available in 2015. The development of investment plans for the most relevant projects is the second prerequisite. The country's Investment Board needs to prepare these plans by August 27, 2015, when the Western Balkans Summit will be held in Vienna. Therefore, we call on the authorities in BiH to prioritize and reconvene the country's Investment Board to meet this deadline.