Plenković on Border Collapse with Montenegro: Patience Needed
20-kilometer queues and 10-hour waits at Karasovići activated the Civil Protection Headquarters, while the head of Konavle calls for expansion of the Debeli Brijeg crossing.
20-kilometer queues and 10-hour waits at Karasovići activated the Civil Protection Headquarters, while the head of Konavle calls for expansion of the Debeli Brijeg crossing.
The traffic collapse at the Karasovići border crossing, where queues stretched over 20 kilometers on Sunday and waits reached up to 10 hours, sparked strong reactions. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković attributes the causes to the end of school obligations in Bavaria and the new European control system, while the head of the Konavle municipality, Božo Lasić, warns of long-standing infrastructure issues and selective vehicle processing by Montenegro.
On Sunday, after the celebration of Our Lady of the Angels in Imotski, Prime Minister Plenković explained to Nacionalno Plus that the massive congestion resulted from two key factors coinciding. "In Bavaria, school obligations have ended, holidays have begun in our nearest large German state, hence such a large number of people. What happened towards Montenegro is mostly Albanian nationals living and working in Western Europe, who took this route as it is the shortest," he stated.
The second significant factor, according to Plenković, is the new Entry/Exit System (EES) introduced to prevent illegal migration. "It is evident that this new Entry/Exit system somewhat slows things down," the Prime Minister said, adding that this is the price of political consensus on more thorough checks at the EU's external borders. "If there is a political effort, even a consensus, to prevent all possible aspects of illegal migration, one way to do so is through more systematic checks, which means everyone enters a large shared computer system. Unfortunately, during such intense summer months, this sometimes causes congestion," Plenković noted for Riječki Novi list.
On the other hand, the head of Konavle, Božo Lasić, pointed out to Index.hr Gastro additional issues blocking traffic. "It takes one to two hours, or even more, just to reach the border crossing. Then there's also a problem in Montenegro, as they selectively let vehicles through, likely due to their own traffic issues. That's what's causing what you see now," Lasić stated.
Lasić emphasized that the blockade has completely paralyzed life in Konavle. "Our biggest problem in Konavle is that this is a specific border crossing. When the D8 road is blocked, side roads cannot function, people cannot go to work, and all activities come to a halt. We've faced a huge problem," he said. Due to the severe situation, the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Konavle municipality was activated, and water and essential aid were distributed to travelers.
The head reiterated his long-standing demand for the expansion of the Debeli Brijeg border crossing. "We have long insisted on creating three to four lanes at the Debeli Brijeg crossing. In my opinion, the problem will only be resolved once a fast road is built all the way to Debeli Brijeg," Lasić conveyed to Dnevnik.hr. He added a dramatic warning for Index.hr Gastro: "If the fast road ends at the airport, it will be a catastrophe. If a highway is built to Dubrovnik but the fast road towards us is not addressed, we in Konavle no longer need to live."
Prime Minister Plenković appealed to citizens and travelers to be patient, expressing confidence that the situation will normalize after the weekend. Head Lasić also believes the peak of the crisis will not last long. "This won't last a month. It will continue for another two or three days, but by tomorrow the queues won't be like this," he predicted. "The temporary measure is patience. This will last a day or two, and then the situation will normalize; we need to be rational. We've set up points, distributing water and helping people as much as we can," Lasić concluded.
