The new border crossing between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina near Stara Gradiška could soon be in operation because the last administrative obstacle to the agreement on its categorization has been removed, local media in Bosnia and Herzegovina claimed on Friday.
The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed for “Nezavisne novine” from Banja Luka that the missing members of the interstate commission for borders from Bosnia and Herzegovina have finally been elected, something that has been waiting for months.
On Thursday, the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina sent the documentation on the selection of new members of the mixed committee to the State Ministry of Security.
It is expected that the members of Bosnia and Herzegovina will meet on November 10 and agree on their negotiating positions, after which negotiations will be opened with the Croatian side.
The authority of the commission is to determine the categorization of border crossings, and it is expected that, in addition to the one at Gradiska, some other crossings will receive a new status, so that in the future they will be open not only for passenger traffic, but also for the transport of goods.
The Croatian Ministry of Finance confirmed that the construction and equipping of the border crossing has been completed on the Croatian side, so the only thing left to do is a technical inspection.
On the Croatian side, work on the first phase of the expressway leading from that crossing to Okučani has also been completed.
On the Bosnian side, all the necessary infrastructure has already been built, and the new bridge over the Sava will be completed in 2022. It is directly connected to the highway that leads to Banja Luka, i.e. to Doboj.
When the new crossing is put into operation, it will significantly shorten the travel time from Croatia to destinations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, because the existing one near Gradiška, which is also the busiest, has been a bottleneck for years and is congested with a large number of passenger and freight vehicles.
