Izetbegović requested EU mediation in ‘unilateral dispute’ with Croatia over the Pelješac Bridge

The Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bakir Izetbegović, requested on Friday that the European Union mediate between BiH and Croatia to find a solution for the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, and he conveyed this request to the head of the EU delegation in BiH, Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, with whom he met in Sarajevo.

In a statement delivered to the media from the Presidency of BiH after the meeting, it is stated that Izetbegović “expressed the expectation that EU institutions will soon engage in mediation between BiH and Croatia to resolve this issue by agreement, in the interest of both countries, as well as the EU itself.”

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However, Izetbegović does not speak on behalf of all of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as Serbs and Croats do not see any problem in the construction of the Pelješac Bridge. He and his Party of Democratic Action (SDA) have launched a fierce campaign over the past month to challenge the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, as the project, according to the positions of this Bosniak party, threatens BiH’s right to access the open sea from the direction of the Neum Bay.

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Izetbegović conveyed to Wigemark that the goal of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not to prevent Croatia from connecting its territories but to protect its interests and achieve the right to access the open sea, which it, as a maritime state, is entitled to under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Achieving this right, as well as Croatia’s right to connect its territories, Izetbegović believes, implies the prior resolution of the maritime border issue between the two countries.

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He insists on the claim that this is also the official position of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2007, of which Croatia was officially informed and which has not been changed.

Izetbegović noted to Wigemark that in the process of approving funds for Croatia for the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, the European Commission’s feasibility study “envisaged that an agreement between the two states would be reached with EU mediation, in order to avoid potential problems and prevent violations of international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea by Croatia,” which, as stated in the statement, has unfortunately been ignored.

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The official positions of the Presidency of BiH and other government bodies in BiH have also been ignored, so the European Commission approved funds for Croatia without any official consultations with BiH, which is Izetbegović’s assessment conveyed to the head of the EU delegation in BiH.