Croatia is investing €32 million to improve road infrastructure and boost transport connectivity with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Sea, Transport, and Infrastructure Oleg Butković announced on Friday.
The statement came during the official opening of a new 10-kilometre road connecting the municipality of Ravno in southeastern BiH with Slano on Croatia’s Adriatic coast. The project, financed by the Croatian Government with €7.3 million, now reduces travel time between Ravno and Slano to just 15 minutes.
“This is an important project that connects the Dubrovnik hinterland with this increasingly popular tourist area,” said Butković, adding that Croatia will also finance the construction of the Ravno–Hutovo and Vir–Aržano roads, further strengthening cross-border links.
The Minister of Transport and Communications of the Federation of BiH, Andrijana Katić, highlighted the new road’s potential to spur economic, tourism, and demographic growth in the region. Ravno’s mayor Andrija Šimunović said the new connection “opens the municipality directly to the Adriatic coast,” while residents expressed optimism about the area’s growing opportunities.
The opening ceremony was also attended by Branko Bačić, Croatia’s Minister of Construction, and Dragan Čović, President of the HDZ of BiH.