Activities of the Ministry in connection with COVID-19 pandemic

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With the emergence of global problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina, headed by the Minister Vojin Mitrović, has undertaken a series of actions in order to alleviate such difficult situation for the citizens.



Therefore, on 16 March 2020, Minister Mitrović sent a letter to the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Montenegro, the Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Croatia, and the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia, respectively, proposing to establish a communication at the level of Ministers responsible for the transport sector to enable smooth flow of goods between the EU and Western Balkans countries. 

Following that, on March 19, the Croatian Civil Protection Committee issued the Decision concerning the border crossings intended for transit of cargo vehicles through the territory of the Republic of Croatia. The Nova Sela, Stara Gradiška and Slavonski Šamac are the three border crossings dedicated for that purpose with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As many countries have taken appropriate unilateral measures to put the situation of the coronavirus spread under control, as much as it is possible, the activities have been undertaken at EU and Western Balkan levels to exclude international road transport of goods from such measures and restrictions, in order to at least slightly mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic on the supply of goods in such a difficult situation. Therefore, in accordance with the "Green Corridors" initiative from the Communication of the European Commission of 23 March 2020, in addition to the EU corridors, the corridors have been identified to be established in the Western Balkan countries. 

The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina also adopted the Decision on determining border crossings for road transport of goods in transit through Bosnia and Herzegovina, between Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro, and the roads allowed to be used for movement of cargo vehicles registered in other countries in transit through BiH with the aim of preventing the spread of coronavirus. The Decision stipulates that the border crossings intended for transit traffic through BiH with the Republic of Croatia are: Bijača - Nova Sela, Gradiška - Stara Gradiška and Šamac - Slavonski Šamac, with the Republic of Serbia: Rača - Sremska Rača, and with Montenegro: Klobuk - Ilina brdo.

For the purpose of reducing congestions at the BiH borders and accelerating the traffic of trucks and goods, Minister Mitrović and the BiH Minister of Security, Fahrudin Radončić, met with Croatian Ambassador to BiH, Ivan Saboli, on 25 March.


Following Minister Mitrović’s appeal of 31 March, the Republic of Serbia fully abolished the formation of police escorts and convoys in international transport of goods as of 2 April, thus helping drivers, health workers and those engaged at border crossings, and all the citizens of BiH and Serbia in facilitating the supply with the necessary goods.

For the same reasons, Minister Mitrović also addressed the appeal to the Government of the Republic of Croatia to abolish police escorts and convoys in the international traffic of goods, taking into consideration that three international border crossings between the two countries had already been designated for the international transit of goods across the territory of the Republic of Croatia.

Minister Mitrović also addressed a letter to the Croatian Minister of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butković, informing him that the BiH Council of Ministers of Bosnia had adopted the Joint Proposal prepared by the Joint Secretariat of the Transport Community and the CEFTA Secretariat for the purpose of facilitating the transport and trade of the basic goods from the Western Balkans, in accordance with Point 15 of the European Commission Communication of 23 March 2020.

In order to fasten reaching a solution to the problem, Minister Mitrović held a telephone meeting with EU Ambassador to BiH, Johann Sattler, and Head of the Economic Affairs Section of the United States Embassy in BiH, Eric Camus, and asked for their personal engagement in addressing this issue with the institutions of the Republic of Croatia in resolving the problems regarding the formation of convoys and police escorts.

Having personally witnessed the extremely difficult situation regarding the road transport of goods at the Gradiška border crossing, Minister Mitrović also visited the Rača border crossing, where he spoke with the representatives of the BiH Border Police, the BiH Indirect Taxation Authority and the carriers, asking everyone for their patience and understanding because the Ministry is taking utmost efforts to normalise the situation.


In addition to road transport, Minister Mitrović has also faced other problems within the competence of the Ministry and agreed with the Minister of Foreign and Internal Trade and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia, Rasim Ljajić, that the mail between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina will be exchanged at the Pavlović Bridge border crossing. The mail has been normally exchanged as of 3 April 2020.

Due to more than 90% drop in air traffic caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the aviation industry has also faced a major financial crisis. As a result, EUROCONTROL Member States have agreed on a proposal for financial package in the amount of € 1,126 billion that would allow airlines the deferral of due payments to air carriers. After having obtained the opinion of the BiH Ministry of Finance and Treasury, the Ministry gave approval to the BiH Agency for Civil Aviation to vote in favour of this decision and to support the package of measures proposed by EUROCONTROL.

Considering that the spread of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 has had a significant impact on air traffic, the Coordination Team of the Ministry has instructed the BiH Directorate of Civil Aviation and the BiH Agency for Air Navigation Services to prepare the new situation impact assessment on the budgets of these institutions.

At the initiative of the Ministry, the BiH Communications Regulatory Agency has extended the validity of the licenses to the Board of the Public Broadcasting System in Bosnia and Herzegovina for analogue terrestrial broadcasting under the same conditions, for an indefinite period of time and minimum until the end of the emergency situation in BiH declared due to the pandemic. The Ministry has also requested the BiH Communications Regulatory to postpone the release of the Multiplex C digital signal until further notice, considering that it could have catastrophic consequences on the signal realization by the BiH Public Broadcasting Services at the time when the state of natural and other disasters is declared and when a special school teaching programme is implemented through an analogue signal of the Public Broadcasting Services.

 

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