Scepan Polje: Montenegro Plans Joint Crossing With Bosnia

Montenegro is preparing design documents for a joint border crossing with Bosnia and Herzegovina at Scepan Polje-Hum, on the Pluzine-Foca road, and construction has not started. That was announced after the 16th session of the two countries’ joint commission, held on Wednesday in Podgorica. The Bosnian side of the road leads to Foca in Republika Srpska, and a representative of that entity’s Interior Ministry (MUP) was among the participants.

The crossing is planned on the Montenegrin side, at a location called Paklice. The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property has been asked to produce a conceptual design, while the documentation itself is being prepared by Montenegro’s Interior Ministry. The Montenegrin delegation was chaired by Aleksandar Vukcevic, and the Bosnian delegation by Ermin Pesto.

How does the crossing connect to the Tara bridge?

Montenegro’s Interior Ministry explained that construction of the crossing will be coordinated with work on the bridge over the Tara and on the access roads. The tender for the access roads is complete and a contract has been signed with the designer: the design documentation must be finished within nine months, RTCG reported.

The session was held under the commission that monitors implementation of the agreement between the Montenegrin government and Bosnia’s Council of Ministers. Attending were representatives of the two countries’ interior and security ministries, border police, customs and other competent institutions.

Which joint crossings already exist?

Two joint crossings have been set up in recent years: Vracenovici-Deleusa, on the Niksic-Bileca road, and Zupci-Sitnica, on Bosnian territory. Scepan Polje-Hum would be the third in that series.

Representatives of both countries stressed that joint border controls:

• simplify and speed up procedures,
• allow more rational use of resources,
• strengthen trust and cooperation between border services,
• contribute to more effective prevention and detection of cross-border crime.

The talks also covered how joint crossings will operate in the context of Montenegro’s European integration, and the rules for movement across Schengen borders. Particular attention went to the inspection of goods subject to controls, with the aim of faster border crossing.

What about residents of the border area?

The commission also reviewed the agreement on border crossings for local border traffic, which makes it easier for people living in border areas to cross. Permits are issued continuously, and citizens of both countries may cross the border at 18 points outside the official crossings, with the appropriate permit.

What is still unknown?

The cost of the project has not been published. Neither the start date of construction nor the completion deadline for the crossing itself has been announced. The only known deadline so far is the nine months for the design documentation related to the access roads, so it is too early to say when the Scepan Polje-Hum crossing could open.