At the 81st emergency telephone session of the BiH Council of Ministers, the decision to temporarily close the Gradiška, Stara Gradiška border crossing was not passed. The temporary traffic rerouting solution expires at 7 PM, and it is unclear how traffic will proceed afterward.
At its 81st emergency session held via telephone, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not support the measure to urgently close the border crossing at Gradiška, Stara Gradiška. In the second round of voting, there were four votes in favor and five against, resulting in the rejection of the proposal. This has made the situation at the border with Croatia even more complex, as the temporary traffic diversion plan expires today at 7 PM.
Voting in favor were the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers, Borjana Krišto, Minister of Justice Davor Bunoza, Minister of Civil Affairs Dubravka Bošnjak, and Deputy Minister of Security Ivica Bošnjak, all from HDZ BiH.
Voting against were the Deputy Chairwoman, Minister of Defense Zukan Helez, and Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Staša Košarac, along with Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konaković, Minister of Communications and Transport Edin Forto, and Minister for Human Rights and Refugees Sevlid Hurtić. Minister of Finance and Treasury Srdžan Amidžić also voted against in the first round of voting.
The Ministry of Security of BiH proposed this agenda item because an earlier decision that temporarily allowed international passenger and goods traffic at the new bridge in Gradiška expires on August 19, 2026. The Ministry emphasized that there is no legal basis for extending that decision, so it submitted a proposal to the Council of Ministers to adopt a decision on the temporary closure of the old crossing due to the collapse of a section of the protective fence and the suspension of traffic over the bridge on the Sava River.
From the Council of Ministers of BiH, they remind that the Agreement on Border Crossings between BiH and Croatia was signed and entered into force on June 8, 2026. Under this agreement, the newly built crossing Gradiška Novi most, Gornji Varoš was granted the status of an international border crossing with all inspection services.
"The Council of Ministers of BiH expects the competent institutions of BiH to take, each within their legal remit, the necessary actions to prevent adverse consequences for travelers and the economy and to ensure the smooth flow of international traffic between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia," the statement from the Council of Ministers of BiH reads.
Minister of Communications and Transport Edin Forto explained his opposition after the vote. "By closing the old crossing, we are not solving the problem; we are risking that citizens, transporters, and the economy pay the price for institutional deadlock. Responsibility should be sought where the problem can and must be solved, in the Indirect Taxation Authority and its Governing Board. They must finish their job and enable the full operation of the new border crossing we built four years ago," Forto emphasized.
The new border crossing Gradiška Novi most, Gornji Varoš was built several years ago and was ready for traffic, but it has not been opened due to an internal conflict within the Governing Board of the Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA). Opening it requires a decision to amend the ITA's Rulebook on Internal Organization.
Expert member from the Federation of BiH Zijad Krnjić is blocking that decision because coefficients for the distribution of VAT revenue between the entities and Brčko District have not been established for nearly three years. That decision is being blocked by Minister of Finance and Treasury Srdžan Amidžić and RS Minister of Finance Zora Vidović, which has led to a serious debt owed by Republika Srpska to the Federation of BiH.
Three months earlier, the bridge at the border crossing Gradiška, Stara Gradiška collapsed, but even then the new crossing was not opened because Amidžić rejected Krnjić's proposal. The Ministry of Security of BiH then temporarily diverted traffic to the new crossing for a period of three months, and that solution expires today at 7 PM.
Following these developments, travelers and the economy are facing uncertainty, and further steps remain unclear.
