The EU Delegation to BiH issued a statement on Monday welcoming the BiH Parliament’s adoption of the fifteen-year Framework Transport Policy.
Over the past years, the European Union has given increasing importance to connecting citizens and businesses across the EU in order to promote sustainable economic growth. The EU has extended this drive also to the countries of the Western Balkans, providing EUR 1 billion for developing and interconnecting transport and energy infrastructure in the next five years. Already this year, more than 100 million EUR is available as co-financing from pre-accession funds (IPA II) for all countries.
This financial assistance, coupled with an offer of further loans and investments, will be available to upgrade or construct parts of the Core Network agreed by the six Western Balkans countries. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, this Core Network includes the highway and railway along Corridor Vc and Highway 2a from Gradiska through Banja Luka – connecting with Corridor Vc south of Zenica. It also includes the Sava river ports of Samac and Brcko and the Sarajevo International Airport.
Now that the policy has been approved, BiH and entity officials will have to draft specific investment plans before a summit in Vienna in late August.
