How long will the EU tolerate the blockade of state institutions, the Corridor 5C construction project is jeopardized

(Patria) - Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina Vojin Mitrović will attend today the official start of works on the second section of the motorway on the Pan-European Corridor Vc.

The official start of works will be attended by Zoran Tegeltija, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željka Cvijanović, President of Republika Srpska, Stefano Ellero, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to BiH, Radovan Višković, Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, Manuela Naessl, Director of EBRD in BiH, Dušan Topić, Director of Motorways of Republika Srpska, and Boris Jerinić, Mayor of Doboj.

This is a six-kilometer-long section on the route from Kostajnica to Putnikovo brdo, also known as the "Doboj bypass". On this section, several large structures will be built, such as a bridge over the River Bosna, an overpass, cuts, and two tunnels, one of which is 1,600 meters long. The project is financed by loan funds from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and grant funds from the European Commission have also been approved for it.

For the construction of road and other infrastructure to continue, it is necessary to unblock state institutions and adopt the necessary decisions and laws. This was also warned by the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy, Oliver Varhelyi. He very clearly stated that BiH could lose 1.5 billion euros.

"We need fully functional institutions at the BiH level. Otherwise, there is a danger that these infrastructure investments will be a lost opportunity. We are talking about 1.5 billion euros or 90 million from IPA for 2022. In the transport sector, we are talking about Corridor 5c, which includes not only the motorway but also railway communication, demining of the Sava River, and the gas interconnection between BiH and Croatia. The entire plan represents a chance for BiH to transform its economic model and make a step forward in green and digital transformation. Without these urgent decisions, there is a danger that BiH will not participate in other programs such as Creative Europe and Horizon Europe next year," said Varhelyi.

While European parliamentarians seek sanctions against Dodik and the RS leadership, EU officials will today, together with representatives of the RS, officially start works on a section of the corridor. So it should come as no surprise that from media close to the RS authorities we hear that Europe is giving "legitimacy to the RS" and recognizes it as a factor to be negotiated with, instead of isolation due to the moves of the RS authorities and institutions led by Milorad Dodik.

The European Union has for months been avoiding taking a concrete and clear stance on the destructive campaign of Milorad Dodik, the RS leadership that, through the NSRS, began withdrawing competencies from state institutions and put out of force the amendments to the BiH Criminal Code imposed by former High Representative Valentin Inzko. While the RS claims they will return to the institutions after this law is withdrawn, it should not be forgotten that Milorad Dodik's wish list also includes the BiH Constitutional Court, the BiH Indirect Taxation Authority, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, the BiH Armed Forces, and the management and disposal of state property.