Renovation and mass construction of railways, with grants from European funds that are more than favorable to rail transport development projects, is one of the priorities of Edin Forto, Minister of Transport and Communications of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This, he claims, is the backbone of connecting Bosnia and Herzegovina with the rest of the region and Europe, because the future of commercial and passenger transport is in the railways.
“BiH must use European funds and grants. Our priorities are railway Corridor 5C, the revitalization of the Una railway, the electrification of sections between Tuzla, Doboj and Zvornik, and the improvement of safety at railway crossings. We have the capacity to realize such projects in this mandate,” said Forto.
Since assuming office until today, the Ministry has initiated the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European program “Digital Europe”, dedicated to the digital transformation of society. Drafting of a new law on the Public Broadcasting System is underway, which will ensure its financial independence, which is one of the EU’s 14 priorities for the opening of membership negotiations.
“We are also working on new legal solutions, such as the Law on Traffic Safety, which is out of date and where it is necessary to tighten the punitive measures for offenders. We also face the challenges of how to preserve professional staff in the Directorate for Civil Aviation (BHDCA), which requires finding a way to adequately pay such staff,” added Forto.
Since taking over the mandate of the minister from the so-called parties of “The Three” follow accusations that they fulfill the wishes of partners from SNSD and HDZ, but Forto sees it as “the work of the opposition”.
“So you will read in the RS that the SNSD fulfills everything that the Three and HDZ ask for, and how they betray Serbian interests or how the HDZ fulfills everything for the SNSD and the Three. Of course, there is no wish fulfillment. We are just trying to implement what we agree on. What consensus was not created in the last 30 years, it will be difficult to create in the next four. If we fail, these things will not be an obstacle for us to work on what we agree on,” said Forto.
Forto states that the section Foča – Šćepan Polje is one of the main projects in his mandate, but he cannot specify the date when it will be built. The road connecting Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro is called the road of death by drivers due to its catastrophic condition.
“My goal is for that road to be built in the next four years, if not, then at least start construction to a good extent. It is a road that connects the two main cities of Sarajevo and Podgorica, and we can say three, because that road also leads to Tirana, and it certainly cannot remain in the state it is in today for a long time,” explained Forto.
The process of valorization of bids in the procurement of equipment within the project of digitalization of public RTV services in BiH, which should start this year, is coming to an end, said Forto, Avaz reports.
