EU Special Representative Peter Sorensen spoke this week on the possibility of instituting a new system of passport-free border crossing for BiH and Croatian citizens living near the border between those two countries. The new program, which would involve issuing special ID cards to border-area residents, would ease crossings after Croatia joins the EU later this year.
Bosnia and Croatia share a border that is around 1,000 kilometres long. It is estimated that thousands of Bosnians cross and recross the border each day. Many are Bosnian Croats with jobs, homes and family in neighbouring Croatia.
The “border area” in Bosnia and Herzegovina is considered to be the zone that extends 30 kilometers deep into the national territory.
If special cards are allowed, residents of these areas would not have to carry their passports when crossing the Croatian border.
