Things slightly changed compared to the nineties. Before the war, Croatian Kostajnica was much more developed, while Bosnian Kostajnica looked like a village. Today, the situation is quite different. As things in BiH are much cheaper than in Croatia, especially after Croatia joined the EU, almost all shops moved from the Croatian coast of Una to the Bosnian one.
“Everything we need for house, we buy in BiH. We just cross the bridge. It is much cheaper,” said one of the housewives from the Croatian side.
The most important is that between residents of both Bosnian and Croatian Kostajnica’s there is no querulous tones, which used to be there 15 years ago. Especially in 2001 when Kostajnica Bridge was restored after the war demolitions. The border agreement existed, because it was signed 2 years earlier, in 1999, by Franjo Tudjman and Alija Izetbegovic.
But, Croatian writer, journalist and columnist Boris Pavelic reminded 4 years ago that “agreements are one thing and life is something else.”
However, the economy made its thing. Neither one nor the other does not want fights; Croatian side does not want to fight with their neighbors across the Una River since they would lose cheaper goods, and the Bosnian side does not want to lose customers. Connections were further strengthen in recent years by the frequent marriages between the newlyweds from the Bosnian and Croatian Kostajnica.
(Source: novovrijeme.ba)
