The opening of Peljesac Bridge will "additionally boost Croatia's economic potential and the competitiveness of Dubrovnik-Neretva County," head of the Croatian chamber of commerce HGK, Luka Burilovic, said on Tuesday, joining the chorus of state officials praising the project on the day of its grand opening.

“The opening of Peljesac Bridge finally connects Croatian territory as a whole. Besides being our clear strategic goal, it’s also the EU’s goal,” he said.

“The bridge is important because its construction was supported by the United States, most of it was funded by the EU, and it was built by Chinese companies under the supervision of Croatian institutions and experts,” said Burilovic.

The bridge, funded mainly by the EU’s €357 million investment and constructed by the China Bridge and Road Corporation (CBRC), was designed to bypass a small coastal strip of land belonging to Bosnia and Herzegovina, allowing direct road connection from mainland Croatia to its southernmost region around the city of Dubrovnik.

Burilovic did not clarify what he meant by “US support” or the “supervision of Croatian institutions.”

“The bridge will make the Peljesac peninsula, the islands of Korcula, Mljet and Lastovo, and Dubrovnik easier to access,” he said, adding that there would be “less waiting on the Bosnian border, while traffic connectivity and flow would improve.”

“By opening the Peljesac Bridge and bringing traffic closer to the far south, Croatia is completing its network of modern roads,” Burilovic said, adding that “30 years ago Croatia had less than 300 km of motorways, while today it has over 1,300, ranking fourth in the EU as to number of kilometers per million inhabitants,” state agency Hina quoted him as saying.

He said the this was “another positive moment for Croatia this year” after the official admission to the euro zone which Croatia is expected to join on 1 January 2023, when it is also expected to join the passport-free travel Schengen Area.

“All that has led the three key credit rating agencies to raise Croatia’s credit rating to the highest level to date,” he added.

“Euro zone and Schengen Area membership represents a lasting advancement of the institutional framework in Croatia, as goods and people will move more easily, and the euro brings lower borrowing costs and eliminates most currency risks,” Burilovic said.

“The membership is an incentive to domestic and foreign investment, a strong wind in the back for exporters, and a clear sign that Croatia is a reliable Nato partner and a committed EU member state,” he added.

He underlined that “all this had been achieved in the most complex international political and economic environment since WWII.”

By building motorways, bridges and the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, and by joining the euro zone and the Schengen Area, “we are ensuring the capacity for development as well as readiness to potential crises,” he said.