{"id":3159304,"date":"2021-02-24T17:56:12","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T17:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webalkans.eu\/bypassing-covid-19\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T11:08:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T11:08:02","slug":"bypassing-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webalkans.eu\/en\/bypassing-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Bypassing COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\nDespite the COVID-19 pandemic, work on Bosnia and Herzegovina\u2019s new motorway keeps rolling thanks to EU grants, financing from the EU bank\u2014and a refusal to give up\r\n\r\nThe people of the Western Balkans know how to keep going, even in troubled times. Still, it\u2019s impressive that, despite the economic and social difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, construction work on a new transport artery in Bosnia and Herzegovina continues. The work will transform rugged terrain into a modern, sleek highway that will bring benefits to travel times and road safety.\r\n\r\nUninterrupted work on this major regional highway, known as Corridor Vc, has been possible thanks to precautionary measures set up by authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the contractors, who introduced rigorous safety protocols and protective equipment. The health of construction workers is monitored daily and the sites are regularly disinfected. The aim of these efforts is to keep operations going, retain jobs and ensure regular incomes for the people engaged on this project.\r\n\r\n<h2><strong>\u201cWe try to reorganise our work as much as we can and keep going as we would in normal circumstances.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n<h3><strong>Faster commuting for 1.5 million people<\/strong><\/h3>\nIt\u2019s a daunting task to provide adequate medical safety measures and restrictions and, at the same time, to ensure timely procurement and supply of construction materials and spare parts for machinery. COVID-19 has disrupted supply and production chains globally. EU support has been essential for the Western Balkans, enabling easier circulation of goods within the region and into the EU for all kinds of projects, including the Corridor Vc construction. \u201cWe try to reorganise our work as much as we can and keep going as we would in normal circumstances,\u201d says Semir Musli\u0107, site supervisor for one of the contractors working on the Ivan Tunnel.\n\nThe significance of this ambitious investment programme is far-reaching. Corridor Vc is one of the most important transport projects in the region, connecting Bosnia and Herzegovina to Hungary, eastern Croatia and the Adriatic Sea. The\u00a0European Investment Bank (EIB)\u00a0has invested \u20ac631 million in the construction of 102 km of motorway on this corridor.\r\n\r\n<h2><strong>\u201cThe European Investment Bank remains committed to the long-term, sustainable development of Bosnia and Herzegovina.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<b>About the EIB<\/b>\n\n<\/div>\nThe European Investment Bank is the lending arm of the European Union. The EIB is the biggest multilateral financial institution in the world and one of the largest providers of climate finance, investing in a sustainable future for all.\n\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nThese funds from the EIB have been matched with more than \u20ac200 million in European Union grants, provided under the Connectivity Agenda. These have been channelled through the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wbif.eu\/\">Western Balkans Investment Framework<\/a>, a mechanism combining grants with implementing partner financing to support EU enlargement and socio-economic development in the region.\n\n\u201cThe European Investment Bank remains committed to the long-term, sustainable development of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we are proud of our role as one of the major investors in the country\u2019s road infrastructure,\u201d said Matteo Rivellini, head of lending in Croatia, Slovenia and the Western Balkans for the EU bank.\n\nConnecting cities, regions and countries creates a whole new range of opportunities for socio-economic growth, employment and regional trade flows. Modern roads bring increased safety, with lower accident rates and lower vehicle operating costs. 1.5 million people living along Corridor Vc now have access to a new highway that cuts their travel times almost in half.\n\nSafer, faster, more efficient and intelligent transport networks are a prerequisite for creating a more coherent and integrated market in the region, and a necessity for better living conditions for the people of the Western Balkans.\n\nAnd even the coronavirus won\u2019t stop that.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, work on Bosnia and Herzegovina\u2019s new motorway keeps rolling thanks to EU grants, financing from the EU bank\u2014and a refusal to give up<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3159305,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[694],"tags":[],"area-of-cooperation":[284],"country":[246],"opportunity-type":[],"class_list":["post-3159304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","area-of-cooperation-connectivity","country-bosnia-and-herzegovina"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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