Alikadić: Bosnian officials must demand Juncker revise his positions on the Pelješac Bridge

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - President of the European Commission (EC) Jean-Claude Juncker is on an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He arrived in Sarajevo with the European Commissioner for Enlargement Policy Johannes Hahn.

Bosnian officials will hand over the European Commission Questionnaire to the European delegation, as the first important prerequisite for obtaining candidate status for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

President of the "Adriatic Sea Maritime Society" Nešad Alikadić told Patria agency that Bosnian officials must also raise the issue of the construction of the Pelješac Bridge before Juncker, for which the EU plans to allocate several hundred million KM. Experts warn that the construction of this bridge would close Bosnia and Herzegovina's access to the open sea, which is contrary to international law.

Juncker recently stated in his address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the European Commission will financially support the Pelješac Bridge project, just as "we support everything that is being done in Dalmatia."

"These are important Croatian and European projects. This project in Croatia is as important as projects in Western Europe. We must not neglect the development of new member states," Juncker said.

Juncker did not specify how he intends to ensure Bosnia and Herzegovina's right of access to the open sea, which is also guaranteed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Croatia plans to build the bridge in the Mali Ston Bay, which would close Bosnia and Herzegovina's only access to international waters. Furthermore, it is unclear how it came about that the EC decided to co-finance the construction of this bridge, even though Croatia did not obtain BiH's consent for the project.

Alikadić believes it seems incredible that one of the top officials of the European Union openly announces that he will violate international laws. He believes that Bosnian politicians have not done enough on this issue, including the state Minister of Transport and Communications Ismir Jusko, who, Alikadić says, "just nods his head all the time and takes no concrete steps."

The "Adriatic Sea Maritime Society" will demand from the President of the European Commission to revise his positions regarding the 'Pelješac Bridge' case.