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Tenders submitted for next phase of Croatian bridge project
Chinese contractors won the first phase of the Peljesac Bridge project and its construction standards elicited plaudits from the Croatian prime minister, but others remain wary
Michael Marray 20 Feb 2019

Tenders have been submitted for the third and fourth phases of the Peljesac Bridge project in Croatia.

The minister of maritime affairs, transport and infrastructure, Oleg Butkovic, said recently that procedures for the second, third and fourth stages of construction were under way, and that Croatian Roads would soon announce the contractor for the second stage, which includes building 12 kilometres of access roads.

The Peljesac Bridge is one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Croatia's history. The bridge will connect the Croatian peninsula Peljesac with the Croatian mainland, bypassing the sliver of territory that gives neighbouring Bosnia access to the coast.

A Chinese consortium led by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) won the bid for the first phase of the Peljesac Bridge and its access roads in January 2018. The final deadline for the completion of all access roads and the bridge is January 2022.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic visited the construction site, in Komarna in southern Croatia, on 31 January, and expressed his satisfaction with the piling work and overall construction progress.

"This is a project of great importance for Croatia and it creates a new dimension of cooperation with China,” he said. “At the same time, a fact that the project is funded from the European Union budget with 357 million euro (US$403 million) shows how important is the EU cohesion policy and the EU's help for the project."

Plenkovic said that he believed that the Peljesac Bridge will become the symbol of the first seven years of Croatia's membership in the European Union (EU), and a place where everyone will be able to see and recognize how much Croatia has gained from it.

Nonetheless, even though the bridge is being funded from the EU budget, the role of major Chinese construction firms in the Balkans remains a cause of unease in Brussels. It views China as projecting its political influence via large infrastructure projects, and is stepping up its own efforts to improve infrastructure in the region, both in EU member states such as Croatia and in neighbouring countries such as Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In late January 21, Oleg Butkovic met with Chinese transport minister Li Xiaopeng in Beijing for talks on cooperation in transport infrastructure, the possibility of Chinese companies using the northern Croatian Adriatic port of Rijeka, and the opening of direct flights between Zagreb and Beijing.

Li said that China was encouraging its companies to apply for tenders and to comply with deadlines and Croatian regulations. Cooperation in the area of infrastructure is only in its initial phase, and will continue to deepen through the Belt and Road and China+16 initiatives, Li said.

The Croatian delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, the HZ Infrastruktura rail company, the Hrvatske Ceste road construction and maintenance company, and the Rijeka port operator.

The Croatian delegation held a number of meetings with representatives of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and several Chinese companies, including China Road and Bridge Corporation and China Communication Construction Company.

There were discussions about projects such as building a highway from Ploce to Dubrovnik, a fast road from Dubrovnik to the border with Montenegro, and railway construction. The Croatian delegation also discussed investment projects with representatives of China Railway Group Limited.

Local daily Vecernji list also reported that China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) is interested in bidding for the concession of the new container terminal in the Port of Rijeka situated in the northern Adriatic. Chinese investors are also interested in building a stretch of railway to connect Rijeka with the Hungarian border.

In a recent statement, the Ministry for Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure said the minister's visit to China marked the continuation of the process of strengthening relations between the two countries, as well as preparing for this year's summit between China and 16 Eastern and Central European countries, which will be hosted by Croatia.

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