Road to a European future: Bosnia and Herzegovina speeds up highway construction

Bosnia and Herzegovina is working on one of the biggest infrastructure projects of the Western Balkans: transport corridor Vc.

The highway connects the Croatian port of Ploče with the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, and industrial cities clustered along the north-south line.

Thus, Bosnia-Herzegovina upgrades its ties not only with its neighbours in the Balkans but also enables better traffic interconnections of the whole region with the European markets.

The 336-kilometre-long Bosnian highway project crossing through the Balkan peninsula mountains is a huge challenge for engineers and is becoming increasingly expensive.

It was launched 23 years ago, but delays piled up. That’s why Euronews tried to get answers to two questions: does Bosnia-Herzegovina really need such a mammoth project, and why is the European Union paying for a good chunk of it?

Bosnia has long wanted to become an EU member.

A growing number of European companies are opening production sites in the country because of lower labour costs. But without good roads, delivering products to European customers takes time.

Bosnia cannot finance such a huge project on its own. There are €870 million in grants from the EU and cheap loans from the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, handing out €1 billion each.

Along this transport corridor, industrial parks are mushrooming. That means jobs, growth and economic welfare.

Although planning has been ongoing for decades, just half of it has been built. But construction is speeding up: some 60 kilometres of tunnels, bridges, and road sections are currently under construction.

Bosnia is doing better today than 20 years ago. The country has launched reforms, supported by the EU,