Debate on Pelješac Bridge in September: Ministry Report Again Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

The session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the parliamentarians' break is scheduled for September 6, Patria reports.

Certainly, a central issue will be, among other things, the Report on activities related to the construction of the Pelješac Bridge and developments concerning the construction of the bridge on the Sava River near Svilaj, submitted by the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Questions about the Pelješac Bridge are increasingly piling up, and the Report prepared by the Ministry of Transport does not provide many answers, so deputies in parliamentary benches could again remain in doubt... Does the Pelješac Bridge threaten Bosnia and Herzegovina? The question of why the resolution of the disputed construction of the Pelješac Bridge was not, as a necessary and logical condition, preceded by the determination of the maritime border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia, and the determination of Bosnia and Herzegovina's access corridor to the open sea, is also not mentioned in the Report, so it is expected that this saga will continue.

The Pelješac Bridge is still a hot topic, although it has been discussed since 2006 in the public of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.

Bakir Izetbegović, a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated his position on July 17, 2017, emphasizing that "Bosnia and Herzegovina must have access to the open sea."

- Whether that is 55 meters in height and 250 meters in width, let experts assess. We in the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina expect, above all, from the Ministry of Transport and Communications a very clear position based on expertise, not on political stances. This issue is still open; Croatia has the right to connect its territory, and Bosnia and Herzegovina has the right to access the open sea - said Izetbegović.

Member of the Presidency Bakir Izetbegović yesterday, August 11, 2017, changed his opinion, stating that he expects a solution favorable to both sides regarding the construction of the Pelješac Bridge.

- Yes, of course, this is not respect for the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. So, Croatia is acting ignorantly here; there are very clear positions of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2007, and then the letter from Mr. Radmanović from 2009 could not be clearer. The border must be determined, the corridor and the navigable route of Bosnia and Herzegovina that connects us to international waters, to the open sea, must be established, and then the elements of the bridge that would be built over those corridors, over those effectively international waters - emphasized Izetbegović.

He expects that "Croatia finally takes this matter seriously and that a solution is found, favorable to both sides."

- Such a solution that Croatia connects its territory, and that Bosnia and Herzegovina has access to the open sea. I think a tunnel that would go inland or under Neum would be twice as cheap for Croatia, and the road to Dubrovnik would take much less time, and it would not ruin a beautiful peninsula of Pelješac with a very wide road belt. But, it's their business, anyway, a solution that suits both sides must be found - added Izetbegović.

Who is responsible for the fact that awareness has only now awakened and that Bosnian politicians, after Croatia received money from the EU for construction, started talking about Bosnia and Herzegovina's right to the open sea. When will the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina speak on this topic again, and can consensus be reached, because Dragan Čović stated that "this joint project must pass in Bosnia and Herzegovina because it helps our country as well."

However, no one can say with certainty why all this is taking so long. Therefore, the Commission for Transport and Communications of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., its members Hanka Vajzović (DF) and Šemsudin Mehmedović (SDA), have repeatedly requested a detailed report on this project, but a satisfactory answer has never arrived from the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, or the relevant ministry, not even this time.

Given the previous practice of hiding information, the initiative clearly states that a chronological sequence of political and other activities regarding the Pelješac Bridge is requested, from the beginning of raising this issue so important for Bosnia and Herzegovina and so significant in bilateral relations with neighboring Croatia (it started more than ten years ago and we do not know how long it will last or how it will end), as well as regarding the developments and a series of disputed issues related to the construction of the bridge on the Sava River near Svilaj.