prijava
SARAJEVO, May 22 (FENA) - Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH and Minister of Finance and Treasury Zoran Tegeltija and Director of the Office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in BiH Manuela Naessl signed today in Sarajevo three agreements on grants from the European Union of total value 43.8 million euros.
By signing these contracts, grants from EU funds were secured to provide financial support for works on sections of the highway, namely: Rudanka interchange - Putnikovo brdo tunnel (30.8 million euros) and Putnikovo brdo tunnel - Medakovo interchange (12 million euros).
In addition, a grant agreement was signed in which the EU invests one million euros for the water supply project in Visoko.
After signing the contract, Minister Tegeltija stated that the Corridor Vc project is a unique project, and that the complete construction of Corridor Vc from the south to the north of BiH will give the true effect of the entire project.
- Today we signed a contract worth EUR 42.8 million in grant funds for the construction of two sections of Corridor Vc - one in the RS, one in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina - said Minister Tegeltija, and added that the grant funds are accompanied by a loan agreement that BiH signed with the European Bank for reconstruction and development.
He added that the value of loans in both the Federation of BiH and the RS is 210 million euros.
He stated that 150 million euros are loans for RS, and 60 million loans are for FBiH.
According to him, these 42.8 million euros were divided - 30.8 million for the share in the RS and 12 million in the FBiH.
Tegeltija said that both projects are being implemented.
He noted that many sections are currently under construction on Corridor Vc, and that these grant funds will speed up the completion of works on these sections.
He said that the 4.5 million euros provided for the City of Visoko will also be accompanied by a grant of one million euros.
According to him, the most important thing is that it will result in solving the problem of water supply for about 4,000 inhabitants of the town of Visoko.
Tegeltija thanked the European Union, which is the donor of these funds and which monitors many projects, especially Corridor Vc.
- We started with 10 percent of the grant funds, then we increased them to 15 percent, that is, the EU increased it. Now we have already reached 20 percent of the funds. The last grant funds that were approved, but were not yet completed, range up to 40 percent. It is a huge help for Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially since we are now in the phase of implementation of the most difficult sections of Corridor Vc - said Tegeltija.
He thanked the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which implements grant funds.
The Special Representative of the European Union for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the head of the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Johann Sattler, said that the money is being provided to Bosnia and Herzegovina as aid for progress in the construction of Corridor Vc, "which is the most important project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, perhaps in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will open Bosnia and Herzegovina, enable business, open the country for tourism and give everyone the opportunity to discover BiH".
- Recently, we have accelerated the construction process of Corridor Vc. It is very important to me that in the talks we had with Minister Tegeltija when he was the chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we managed to resolve two important elements. Now there are sections that are 15, 20, 25, even 30 kilometers long, compared to the previous lots that were two or three kilometers long. Another important thing is that we managed to increase the element of the grant that is given with the loan funds, from five, ten or 15 percent to the current 40 - said Ambassador Sattler.
He noted that when the high-level conference was held regarding the construction of Corridor Vc, it was said that the construction would be completed in 2028.
Ambassador Sattler stated that, in addition to large projects on Corridor Vc, they also support regional development, and in this case they support the water supply project that is implemented in seven settlements in the vicinity of Visoko.
He noted that the next report of the European Commission will be the first after granting candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- We want that report to be positive, and it will concern, among other things, the adoption of new laws related to the judiciary, courts, conflict of interest and other economic issues that are very important for the country - concluded Sattler.
Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Manuela Naessl, said that these grants will enable the acceleration of the construction of Corridor Vc.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina has applied for projects with a total value of 100 million euros for Corridor Vc. These are the funds needed for its construction - said Naessl.
She mentioned that today they also signed the Grant Agreement related to the water supply project in Visoko.
- This project will reduce water losses and provide better and more advanced water supply to the residents of Visoko municipality. We are conducting similar projects in Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Gradačac - said Naessl.
(FENA) L. N.
