Who will go to jail for fake documentation to Brussels in the Pelješac Bridge case?

The Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted a Declaration by a majority vote, calling on Croatia and the European Commission to immediately suspend all actions related to the construction of the Pelješac Bridge until a compromise is reached with BiH.

The BiH Parliament's Declaration stems from pressure from maritime law experts who determined that the construction of the Pelješac Bridge would block Bosnia and Herzegovina's access to the open sea. Croatia would thereby violate the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and BiH would remain permanently crippled.

In the BiH context, a technical issue has once again turned into a political farce. The atmosphere in the State Parliament is oppressive and uncertain. The Declaration was supported by SDA, SDP, DF, Nezavisni blok, and A-sda. SBB supported it only after reluctantly agreeing. SNSD and HDZ BiH were explicitly against the Declaration, and SDS was undecided until the last moment. Only at the proposal of Aleksandra Pandurević, in the third round of voting, did SDS support the Declaration, practically leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina in the game to obtain a free, open, unobstructed corridor from Neum to international waters, as dictated by God and the law.

It is important for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia to agree on the demarcation in the Malostonski Bay, as well as on the potential construction of the Pelješac Bridge. Good neighborly relations between the two countries should be paramount. However, regardless of how the story about the Pelješac Bridge ends, it is more important for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina that the truth is clearly and loudly revealed at the end of this turmoil, and to discover who worked for the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina and who worked against the state in the entire race for Pelješac.

In order for Croatia to receive 357 million euros for co-financing the bridge from the European Commission, it had to submit the consent of the BiH side to Brussels, along with all other documentation. In 2007, the Presidency of BiH issued an official stance emphasizing that BiH was against the construction of the bridge until open issues related to the identification of the maritime border line between the two countries were resolved. The then President of Croatia, Stjepan Mesić, and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader were informed of BiH's stance by the Chairman of the Presidency of BiH, Nebojša Radmanović.

The border between BiH and Croatia in the Malostonski Bay has not been verified to this day, so it is unclear who submitted the falsified consent of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Brussels?! Zagreb should clarify this as soon as possible, and if it comes to the worst, it should do so at Brussels' insistence? This is the most serious diplomatic scandal and a criminal offense.

It is expected that HDZ BiH, following a tried and tested model, will use the BiH Parliament's Declaration as an indicator that Croats have been outvoted and endangered. However, the real truth should be sought elsewhere. Throughout the entire debate about the bridge, HDZ BiH represented the interests of Croatia. If there is justice, all those from Bosnia and Herzegovina who tried to put their own country in a subordinate position will have to pay dearly for it.

Whoever tried to falsify the consent of the BiH side to Brussels regarding the construction of the Pelješac Bridge respects neither Brussels nor Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even worse, they sent a message that they think there are idiots on both sides who can be manipulated.