CORRIDOR VC TUNNEL PRENJ

The project consists of the construction on a new alignment of the 10 km Tunnel Prenj and 24 km of road approaches as part of the Konjic - Mostar North road section on motorway Corridor Vc in central Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The motorway road section is part of the Pan-European Corridor Vc linking Hungary and northeastern Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Adriatic Sea in the area of the port of Ploce. The project lies on the indicative extended Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Mediterranean core network. The road section of the project is included in the Single Project Pipeline agreed between the Government of BiH and European Commission as adopted by the BiH National Investment Committee in February 2019. The project road section is also aligned with BiH's Transport Strategy 2016-2030.

The Corridor Vc motorway connection is essential for fostering economic growth in the country. The project is expected to facilitate trade, develop tourism, promote regional and national economic growth and ultimately contribute to economic and social cohesion in the region. The project will facilitate convergence toward EU standards in terms of the core economic infrastructure of BiH and increase road capacity and safety on this North-South corridor. The project will shorten travel distances along the central part of the corridor and is thus expected to generate substantial benefits in terms of time savings, reduced accident rates, savings in vehicle operating costs and reduction of relative emissions. The project will also increase accessibility and promote regional as well as local economic development.

If located within the EU, the project would fall under Annex I of the EIA Directive 2014/52/EU amending the EIA Directive 2011/92/EU and therefore be subject to an environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure. As a potential candidate country to the EU, BiH has adopted the relevant EU Directives, including the EIA Directive (2014/52/EU). The entire Corridor Vc has been subject to a regulatory EIA procedure in BiH (divided in four lots with the corresponding EIAs), including public consultation at scoping and assessment stages. For the road section Konjic-Mostar North, a specific environmental impact assessment and a Waste Management Plan were prepared in 2016 and are currently updated under Western Balkans Investment Framework financed technical assistance (WBIF financed TA). Environmental and social aspects, management measures and procedures as well as alignments of the project with EIB Environmental and Social standards and provisions of the relevant EU Directives are to be reviewed during appraisal.

The Bank will require the Promoter to ensure that implementation of the project will be done in accordance with the Bank's Guide to Procurement and the relevant applicable EU public procurement rules.

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