BANJALUKA, GRADIŠKA – Although Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia invested tens of millions of euros in a new expressway, border crossings and bridges to connect Banja Luka with Zagreb, politics got in the way, which is why this investment practically remained closed to traffic from December last year until a month ago.
Key advantages of the new border crossing
- Larger number of input and output lanes
- More modern infrastructure
- More spacious facilities for services
- Faster customs procedures
- Shorter passenger delays
- More efficient flow of goods
- Better working conditions for officials
Full hit
It was only a tragedy, that is, the collapse of a dilapidated road at an old and inadequate border crossing, that forced the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to take action and remove the blockades so that the new crossing could be opened.
Now it appears that the move was a complete hit, as citizens of both countries benefit from it.
Significant improvements evident
The Directorate for Indirect Taxation of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirms for “Independents” that significant improvements are evident in terms of the flow of passenger and freight traffic. They, on the other hand, remind that the new crossing is not open on a permanent basis, but that it is a matter of temporarily moving the Gradiška border crossing to a new location.
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For the record, the problem arose after Zijad Krnjić, an expert member of the Administrative Board of the ITA, prevented the amendment of the Rulebook that would have assigned staff to the new crossing. He conditioned his consent by placing on the agenda the item on settlements between entities based on income from indirect taxes.
New crossing opened due to road collapse
The crossing was closed for almost half a year, and then due to the collapse of the road, a new crossing was opened, that is, the old crossing was moved to a new location, which formally created the conditions for its opening.
We did not receive an answer from the BiH Border Police regarding the data on the movement of people at this interstate crossing.
But that’s why the ITA says that the border crossing has significantly larger capacities compared to the previous location, which enables a more efficient flow of goods and passengers, and ultimately contributes to shorter delays when entering BiH.
More modern and better infrastructure
“Unlike the existing Gradiška border crossing, where work is being carried out on the rehabilitation of the collapsed part of the bridge, the relocated crossing is characterized by a more modern and better infrastructure. There are a greater number of entry and exit traffic lanes, while the facilities intended for the work of border and customs services are more spacious and functional. Such conditions enable the engagement of a greater number of officers at checkpoints, which directly affects the faster performance of customs procedures for inspecting goods and passengers,” they emphasize.
They add that, although there are noticeable periods of slightly larger crowds, especially on Fridays when entering Bosnia and Herzegovina and on Sundays when leaving the country, greater capacity and better organization of traffic at the new border crossing enable a faster flow of vehicles and significantly reduce the waiting time compared to the previous period.
“In any case, since the opening of the temporarily relocated Gradiška border crossing, significantly better working conditions for officials have been noticeable, as well as a more efficient flow of passenger and freight traffic,” they point out.
