The volume of goods transport across the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina has substantially declined after Croatia joined the European Union on July 1, according to figures provided by the Bosnian Indirect Taxation Office (UNO) as quoted by the Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz on Friday.
In the first eight days of July, 2,500 trucks crossed the border at Gradiska, the busiest border crossing between the two countries, down 15% in comparison to the corresponding period in 2012. Of that number, 1,400 trucks imported goods into Bosnia and Herzegovina while 1,100 crossed the border carrying goods intended for EU markets.
The Gradiska border crossing in the north and the one at Bijaca in the south are the only two border crossings designed for the transport of goods of plant and animal origin. However, only 300 trucks used the Bijaca-Nova Sela border crossing in the first six days of the month, of which 200 carried goods into Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The UNO said that a lower volume of transport in July had been expected because most importers and exporters shipped their goods in June when a customs-free trade regime, regulated by the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) between the two countries, was still in force.
