Plenković blames border jams on high tourist numbers and new system, appeals for patience

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković acknowledged and addressed the severe traffic congestion at the Konavle border crossing, attributing the delays to a surge in tourist traffic and the newly implemented Entry/Exit system. The situation, which saw hours-long waits at the Karasovići crossing, was explained by Plenković as a consequence of holiday travel patterns.

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In any case, we need to solve the fast road from Dubrovnik to Čilipi, and further towards the border with Montenegro, however, it is obvious that this new Entry/Exit system also somewhat slows down the situation.

Plenković noted that a significant number of travelers are Albanian citizens residing and working in Western Europe who are using the shortest route towards Montenegro. He also pointed to the end of school holidays in Bavaria, a neighboring German state, as a contributing factor to the high volume of people traveling south. The Prime Minister suggested that while infrastructure improvements, such as a faster road from Dubrovnik to Čilipi, are needed, the new Entry/Exit system, designed to enhance border security and control illegal migration, is also partially slowing down the process during peak summer months.

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If you have a political endeavor, and even a consensus, to prevent all possible aspects of illegal migration, one of the ways to do that is through more systematic controls, and that means everyone entering a large common computer system. Then, unfortunately, when these are intense summer months, it sometimes causes queues.

Appealing for patience, Plenković expressed confidence that the situation would normalize after the weekend. Separately, he discussed the upcoming celebration of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day in Knin. He confirmed that the program is coordinated and anticipates a dignified event honoring Croatian veterans. The Prime Minister also highlighted a positive economic note, mentioning that the agency Fitch has reaffirmed Croatia's investment credit rating at 'A–' with stable outlook, indicating confidence in the country's economic stability.

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We had the last briefing after the government session on Thursday, and I expect everything to be dignified, precisely with emotions and evoking everything that Croatian defenders did for Croatia, freedom, democracy in the Homeland War and those two magnificent victories - Flash and Storm as the crown of 1995 when Croatia created all the prerequisites to connect its north and south and round off its territorial integrity with a peaceful reintegration.