Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia Sign Agreement on Border Crossings, Indirect Taxation Authority Warns of Possible Implementation Issues

(Patria) - Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Krišto and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković signed in Sarajevo the Agreement on Border Crossings between the two countries.

Krišto expressed satisfaction with the meeting after the signing, emphasizing the good partnership and friendly relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, as well as the continuous support Croatia provides to Bosnia and Herzegovina on its European path through numerous projects in the fields of healthcare, infrastructure, and culture.

She stated that during the meeting they also discussed numerous topics, including internal challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the issue of the Election Law, which, as she said, needs to be resolved also due to European integration.

She also commented on the signed agreement, assessing it as important for improving the transport of goods, the economy, and bilateral relations. She emphasized that the document is not merely formal but substantive, and that its implementation will lead to a reorganization of border crossings.

According to her words, instead of the current two, Bosnia and Herzegovina will have five border crossings for goods subject to inspection controls, which will improve oversight and facilitate the flow of goods.

Nevertheless, the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ITA) warned that the implementation of the agreement could cause certain difficulties, including the possibility that Gradiška will be left without an active goods border crossing and that the northern part of the country will remain without adequate control for goods traffic requiring phytosanitary and other inspection oversight.

From the ITA, they stated that implementation should be postponed until a rulebook on the internal organization of work at the new border crossing in Gradiška is adopted, in order to avoid administrative delays and problems in the daily transport of goods and the operations of business entities.