URGENT OPENING OF GRADIŠKA BORDER CROSSING, BiH SUFFERS DAMAGE OF AROUND BAM ONE BILLION

TREBINJE, DECEMBER 17 /SRNA/ – The Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH has called on the competent institutions to urgently speed up the procedure for opening the new Gradiška border crossing in order to ensure faster flow of goods, particularly those subject to phytosanitary and veterinary inspections, it was unanimously decided at the Chamber's Assembly held today in Trebinje.

It was pointed out that the economy of BiH suffers annual losses of around BAM one billion due to long waiting times at border crossings, and that the Gradiška crossing represents the backbone of the economy, as more than 90 percent of goods subject to phytosanitary and veterinary control are transported through this crossing. The Chamber recalled that over the past several years it has been requesting a redefinition of the status of border crossings with Croatia, of which there are 15, due to constant congestion and delays. In 2024 around 19 percent of freight vehicles, 24 percent of buses, 13 percent of passenger vehicles and 15 percent of passengers used the Gradiška border crossing, which is one of only two crossings with BIP status /authorized for all types of goods/, statement from the Foreign Trade Chamber says. At the same time, the other border crossing with BIP status – Bijača – was used last year by only 5.6 percent of freight vehicles, 18 percent of buses, 5.7 percent of passenger vehicles and about 7.6 percent of passengers. Official data show that throughout the year 94 regular bus lines out of a total of 362, or 26 percent, operate via the Gradiška border crossing toward Western and Central European countries, while only one such line operates via the Bijača crossing. This means, as stated, that all goods of plant and animal origin, as well as more than one quarter of regular bus lines toward Western and Central Europe, are directed to just one of the two crossings with BIP status. The priorities of the Foreign Trade Chamber include continuous activities aimed at accelerating the flow of goods and people at border crossings, as well as redefining the status of crossings with Croatia. This redefinition includes opening the Donji Svilaj and Izačić border crossings for all types of goods, and granting the Orašje, Kamensko and Ivanica crossings bilateral phytosanitary inspections. Representatives in the Assembly are companies operating through various business associations within the Foreign Trade Chamber, thus representing the business community of BiH as a whole.