Commenting on the opening of the border crossing at Bijaca, Head of Delegation/EUSR Peter Sorensen said:

“An important achievement in preparing for the accession of Croatia to the European Union has been reached by Bosnia and Herzegovina. BiH and Federation authorities have delivered on their commitment that the border crossing will be ready in time. The Indirect Taxation Authority, the Autoceste FBiH, the state level and Federation authorities have all played their roles in full. This will ensure that a smoother transition to a new era in which an EU of 28 Member States will be BiH’s neighbour.

“At the same time we underline the need for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s authorities at all levels to take action on the many remaining issues linked to the implications of Croatia’s accession to the EU. In particular we again urge Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement EU food safety standards that would allow animal origin goods to be traded on the Croatian market and beyond in the EU.”