Selimović requests European Commission to address Pelješac Bridge construction before Parliament

BRUSSELS, (Patria) - The European Commission (EC) will soon address the European Parliament regarding the construction of the Pelješac Bridge between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia in the Mali Ston Bay.

Swedish Member of the European Parliament Jesenko Selimović requested that the EC provide its position on the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, noting that the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia has still not been determined in the area where the bridge construction is planned, the Patria agency reports.

In January, Croatian Roads officially announced that the winner of the tender was the Chinese consortium China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). The total project value is approximately 526 million euros, including VAT. The Chinese consortium committed in its bid to complete the bridge within 36 months, i.e., by 2021. The EU is co-financing 85 percent of these funds.

On the other hand, some experts argue that the construction of the Pelješac Bridge is illegal because Bosnia and Herzegovina has not given the green light for the project. If Croatia builds the bridge, experts warn, Bosnia and Herzegovina will lose its only access to the open sea, even though, as a state, it has the right to such access under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.