Croatia and Bosnia agree on joint maintenance of shared infrastructure

Some 10 bridges in cross-border regions will be renovated in the near future

Representatives of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered earlier this week in Zagreb to discuss the maintenance of their shared infrastructure in cross border regions. The talks culminated in the signing of an agreement that would see both states take part in the renovation of 10 bridges that are key to the economies of their surrounding settlements and act as a crucial juncture linking the Western Balkan nation to the rest of Europe.

Bilateral agreements for the benefit of both societies

Present at the signing of the agreement were the transport ministers of both states – Oleg Butkovic, from Croatia’s Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure and the Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vojin Mitrović.

Within the agreement signed between the two parties are contained provisions about how the maintenance of the 10 bridges will be managed and about how their conditions can be improved. For example, both ministries will actively work to improve road safety along the connecting junctures by increasing the functionality of the bridges and ensuring that proper support is provided for their maintenance.

The agreement further stipulates that the two countries will be splitting the costs for the works 50/50 while a joint task force will be monitoring the implementation of the deal.

Improving connectivity in the region will significantly bolster the economic outlook of border areas which is especially important during a period of economic downturn. As explained by Croatia’s Oleg Butkovic ''The maintenance and reconstruction of bridges as well as roads on the common border are equally important for both countries, because only through joint cooperation can we improve common ties, both transport and economic. Certain bridges, which are, among others, the subject of the Agreement signed today, are in a really bad condition and we must react quite quickly in order to bring them to a safe condition as soon as possible in terms of traffic.”