RAČIĆ: DELAY IN OPENING GRADIŠKA BRIDGE SLOWS ECONOMY

BANJA LUKA, MARCH 7 /SRNA/ – The President of the Republika Srpska Chamber of Commerce Goran Račić has stated that one of the major problems for the economy and transport sector is the insufficient number of functional border crossings, as well as the fact that the new bridge in Gradiška has still not been opened to traffic.

Račić assessed that it is absurd that such an important infrastructure project is not in operation, even though it is highly significant for both freight and passenger transport. "This leads to the absurd situation in which we live, where a single individual can block the most important issue for logistics and passenger crossings," Račić said in the SRNA podcast. According to him, the BiH economy today has a far greater volume of trade than in the past, which requires a larger number of functional border crossings. "Our economy is not the same as it was ten years ago. We have increased the volume of trade with Western Europe several times, and we need a much larger number of border crossings," Račić pointed out. He added that there is currently also a problem with the number of crossings that can perform phytosanitary inspections. "We have only two border crossings that meet the requirements for the transit of goods of animal and plant origin," Račić emphasized. According to him, the solution lies in better infrastructure and the integration of border crossings with neighboring countries – Serbia and Montenegro. "We must create conditions for integrated border crossings, so that goods and documentation are inspected in one place, rather than having controls carried out at several locations. That would speed up the flow for both citizens and transport operators," Račić stressed.