Author: WeBalkans

In a significant development in its bid to modernize key infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Brčko Port has launched the next phase of its development with a €3 million grant from the European Union and a further €7 million in loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This funding will see the facilities overhauled offering a significant upgrade in its operational abilities and regional economic impact. 

The operation of a new crane was marked by Ambassador Johann Sattler, Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative, and Perica Josić, Director of Brčko Port. Ambassador Sattler expressed his enthusiasm about the project: “Today we are witnessing a notable achievement in the ongoing modernization efforts of the Brčko Port and I’m delighted the EU could contribute to it. Brčko’s advantageous position on the Sava is not currently used to its full potential. By supporting the modernization of the Brčko Port, we are not only contributing to economic development and jobs, but also to strengthening the trade links and opportunities between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union, as well as the wider region.” 

The project is part of the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), which kicked off with the completion of the port plateau in 2022. An important part of the project, funded by the EU, includes reconstructing the access road from the port to Bijeljinska cesta, and the industrial railway connecting the port to Brčko Novo railway station, anticipated to be completed in 2024. 

Perica Josić, Director of Brčko Port, said of the investment: “This project is hugely significant; for the first time in over 50 years the Brčko District has seen a real and significant amount of investment. By investing in the development of this infrastructure we are now the initiators of new economic development, that’s the significance of this project. I believe that having a European port in this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina provides not only the Brčko District but the entire country with new opportunities to develop and progress.” 

Zijad Nišić, Brčko District Mayor, welcomed the development as an investment in the Green Agenda and decarbonization process which he said would ultimately lead to long-term economic benefits and prosperity for the region. Manuela Naessl, Head of the EBRD in BiH pointed out that it is yet another important project for the economy of Brčko which will contribute to business development, facilitate exports and imports while bringing BiH even closer to the EU. 

This modernization project is in line with the European Commission’s Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) for the Western Balkans which will improve the region’s transportation and infrastructural connectivity. The specific focus is to increase the navigation along the Danube River, a critical link on the core TEN-T network (Rhine-Danube Corridor), improving waterway traffic across the continent. The Brčko Port modernization intervention represents a big step forward in BiH infrastructural improvements offering new perspectives of growth and regional connectivity. 

The European Commission has recommended today to the Council to open EU accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, marking a major move on the country’s European integration path. This follows the Commission’s communication to the Council about its Enlargement report on 8 November, addressing Ukraine and Moldova’s situation and their progress on the Council’s conditions for advancing EU bilateral relations over the last five years. The recommendation to open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina comes after the European Council decided in December 2022 to give the country candidate status.  

Bosnia and Herzegovina have since adopted a series of reforms, showing that it has all the guarantees of a clear European vocation. The country has adopted a series of laws necessary to avoid conflict of interests and to carry out the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing; advanced the country’s judiciary and prosecutorial system, fighting against corruption, organized crime, terrorism; and improve concerning migration management through the negotiation of a Frontex status agreement. These efforts have allowed the country to align with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and have in many respects provided for a level of development that has been unknown in a short but many years.  

“Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken impressive steps forward since being granted candidate status, achieving more in just over a year than in the previous decade. It can meet the membership criteria and its citizens aspire to become part of the EU family,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.  

Draft negotiating frameworks are also proposed for Ukraine and for Moldova by the Commission, after the European Council decided to open negotiations with both. Learning from past enlargements, the proposed drafting framework better identifies for both countries the guidelines and principles that will govern the conduct of the negotiations, as well as the stage achieved by most of the revised methodology on enlargement and adaptations made to the EU’s acquis in the last years. The Commission’s willingness to present these proposals to the Council reflects the European Union’s enlargements’ new impetus. The draft negotiating frameworks for Ukraine and Moldova specify the principles, the substance, as well as the procedural aspects of the negotiations, they invite the former to adopt and implement the EU acquis in its entirety. The least can be said that it marks a very considerable stage on the way to converging these countries with the Union.  

As the European Union looks to extend its membership, whether these agreements are adopted by the Council will be of crucial importance. The Council’s decision is anticipated to initiate formal accession negotiations, affirming the EU’s dedication to its enlargement policy and integrating these countries into the European family in the process.