Ministry of Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina awaits official stance, Croats celebrate: Pelješac Bridge closes Bosnia and Herzegovina's open sea!

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović announced today that the construction of the Pelješac Bridge will begin very soon, Croatian media report.

This would practically mean that Bosnia and Herzegovina loses its open sea access, and from the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are no official information for now.   

- At this moment, there are no statements; we are waiting for official information regarding the feasibility study. We at the Ministry have not received any official stance or details of the study - said Vanja Filipović, associate of Minister Slavko Matanović.

He added that EU representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina have not provided the Ministry with any data either, and he is not sure who, if anyone, from Bosnia and Herzegovina attended the meeting where the feasibility study was presented.

On the other hand, Milanović is clear and says that today we are completely right when we say that the bridge will be built, that it will start very soon, and that the procedure will be completed by the last quarter of this year.

- We have brought this process to the very beginning of its execution. Everything later will be easier. So, now the money is there, now the execution criteria are clear, the bridge has been selected by those who decide on such matters in Europe as the best option among several options offered - said Milanović at today's presentation of the project for the transport connection of southern Croatia.

He said that it is a construction project, but also a political one, and that the bridge will enable easier and safer travel for people and faster transport of goods.

The earlier official stance of Bosnia and Herzegovina, presented at all forums and presentations of that project, is clear and precise, namely that there will be no construction of the Pelješac Bridge that would prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from having access to international waters and the open sea through the Neum and Korčula channels.

According to conventions, a neighboring country, if it has a rugged coast like Croatia, does not have the right to create any obstacles for a country that has an indented deep coast like Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croatia is going for a bridge variant with a navigational height of 35 meters and an arch span of about 180 meters, through which even slightly larger boats cannot pass.