The European Union’s flagship infrastructure project in Bosnia & Herzegovina, the 330-kilometre Corridor Vc motorway, faces significant opposition from farmers and residents along its route. 

The motorway is intended as a crucial international artery connecting the Hungarian capital Budapest to the Adriatic port of Ploče in Croatia, aiming to boost economic development in the region. However, the reality on the ground in Bosnia reveals a complex web of environmental concerns, local opposition and political manoeuvring.

With only a third of the motorway built, the project, financed by over €3bn in loans and grants from the EU, European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), has been the subject of multiple complaints, particularly concerning the section south of Mostar. This stretch involves building a tunnel through the iconic Prenj mountain, a region long planned to be a national park but lacking legal protection.

JP Autoceste, the state company overseeing the project, told bne IntelliNews: “The construction of highways is one of the most important infrastructure projects for Bosnian society—it connects people, improves the quality of life, opens new business opportunities, and changes the understanding of mobility.” The company also claimed that the Mostar section was carefully planned, with “all requirements from the local population and associations met”.

However, grassroots objections tell a different story. Since 2017, the highway project has faced resistance from local landowners in Bosnia, who say they feel betrayed by loss of their lands and inadequate compensation. 

Voices from the ground

The planned route for the highway, which will run through valuable agricultural land between Mostar and the village of Počitelj, threatens not only the livelihoods of its residents but also the sense of peace they have fought so hard to reclaim after the wars of the 1990s. 

bne IntelliNews visited the affected areas to interview locals and observed firsthand the challenges they face.

Noora's story exemplifies the struggles faced by many. Her home, nestled in a picturesque valley surrounded by mountains, stands on land she purchased after working in Germany to save money. The house and flourishing garden — full of fruit trees and vegetables — are all products of her hard work. The air here is fresh, the soil fertile and the landscape filled with greenery. But this tranquil environment is under threat. As Noora shared: “One day, I found a wooden stick marking where the highway will go, right in the middle of my property. Nobody informed me. This land is my livelihood. If necessary, I will lay down in front of the machines to protect it." 

The well she relies on for drinking water was marked for expropriation in 2018, but formal notification came much later. The negotiations were gruelling, as she recounted. "They wanted to buy only one part of the land, not the whole land, and not even for a reasonable price. They thought people would be unaware and just accept €5,000-10,000. We gave everything to the lawyer, but they kept dividing our land to buy it piece by piece. Now we have everything in court."

Walking through Noora's property, you can see the lush garden where she grows her own vegetables — a labour of love that she fears will be destroyed. "The highway here would destroy everything," she said, her voice filled with frustration. "The soil will no longer be of such good quality. There would be no peace. Imagine, 12 metres from the house, I would constantly hear cars passing by."

Another couple, who fled the area during the 1992-1995 war and have since returned to rebuild their lives, face a similar ordeal. They bought their land intending to spend their retirement in this peaceful setting, far from the polluted air of Zenica, where they once lived. "When we start our journey from Zenica, it's so foggy there. But as soon as we pass one tunnel and enter Mostar, it is so sunny and different. That's why we want to spend our retirement time here," they said. But the offer they received for their land was far below market value. "They offered BAM33 [€16.89] per square metre, but here the minimum is KM50-56. They are cutting prices wherever they can." For them, the issue is not just about money, but about fairness and respect. "We are not against the highway; we are just against the treatment of our people."

Vedran’s situation is particularly telling. His family lives near the planned tunnel exit, and as you enter his property, you are greeted by expansive farmland where fruits and vegetables thrive — a livelihood that could be snatched away. "We agreed to sell under pressure, but the compensation was insufficient," Vedran explained, frustration evident in his voice. Now, with no significant construction having started in three years, he's fighting to annul the expropriation contract. "According to expropriation law, if no significant work has started three years after the expropriation decision, owners can ask for annulment. We satisfy this criterion and will return the money to JP Autoceste to keep working on our land."

Many of the residents, like Noora and Vedran, fear they could lose their homes once again—a fear all too familiar for those who have already experienced displacement during the war.

Environmental and social concerns

The EIB confirmed to bne IntelliNews that it had received a complaint in 2020 signed by over 3,000 residents opposing the modified route. The complaint cited issues such as inadequate environmental assessments, unresolved expropriation concerns, and a failure to consider the well-being of vulnerable groups, including refugee returnees. While the EIB’s complaints mechanism found some allegations unsubstantiated, it acknowledged gaps in addressing the project’s social impact and recommended further assessments.

The EBRD also told bne IntelliNews that its Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM) reviewed similar complaints. It found breaches of the bank’s environmental and social policy during the route selection process and recommended additional mitigation measures and stakeholder engagement. Despite this, locals say little has changed, leaving them feeling frustrated and unheard.

The environmental assessment for the project has faced significant criticism. The route threatens the Bijela valley and the potential Natura 2000 site in Prenj. Public consultations were either inadequately conducted or outright ignored, leaving many locals unaware of changes until it was too late, said a spokesperson from CEE Bankwatch Network, the NGO monitoring the project.

“In 2017, during a presentation of the new route, the director of JP Autoceste, when confronted with public opposition, stated that it was a political decision beyond his control,” said Alma Midžić, human rights and community support coordinator at Bankwatch. This sentiment was reiterated in subsequent interviews with local residents. 

One resident explained: "They were obliged to have public discussions before changing the route or making decisions, which they did not do. The route was decided behind closed doors."

Another local emphasised the lack of proper consultation: "They just invited people to show the new route, not to ask their opinion. They showed old photos of the land without the houses that are now there and claimed not a single house would be destroyed. But in reality, many houses are affected."

Questions over the environmental and social assessments have also raised concerns about the project's long-term sustainability. Residents fear the destruction of fertile agricultural land, vital for local livelihoods. One resident described the valley's agricultural importance: "This part of Bosnia & Herzegovina is mainly stones, but this valley is very fertile agricultural land; you can harvest three times a year here. Even during the pandemic, people were able to sustain themselves with their own produce. Tourism is also flourishing here, with people renting small houses to rest. If a highway is built, it is under question whether tourists will still come."

The EBRD's IPAM investigated these complaints and found violations of the EBRD's policies. However, the EBRD management stated that changing the route was not feasible without cooperation from JP Autoceste and the authorities in the Bosnian Federation. 

This response has left many locals feeling frustrated and unheard. "We had a hard time even trying to register our case with the EBRD," one resident noted. "We tried in 2019 but they only registered our case in June 2022. We are not satisfied with the result. There was no proper environmental or social study, the agricultural land will be irreversibly destroyed, people will live 10 or 30 metres from the highway, affecting their health and causing significant noise pollution."

Broader implications

The Corridor Vc motorway, intended to boost economic development, has been portrayed as a panacea for Bosnia’s economic woes. However, the reality shows a stark contrast to this intention. With the total cost reaching €4.5bn, according to the Western Balkans Investment Framework report, the project's financial burden is substantial for a country with a population of less than 3.5mn. Moreover, the focus on motorway construction has overshadowed the potential for multimodal transport, including rail, which continues to decline. 

The story of Corridor Vc is a microcosm of the broader challenges facing large infrastructure projects in Bosnia. It highlights the tension between development goals and local needs, the struggle for environmental and social justice, and the complexities of political and financial oversight.

The project has also exposed deep political and social divides within the country. During the war, many families were expelled from their lands. The post-war return of displaced persons was supported by international funds aimed at rebuilding sustainable local economies. Now, the same international community is funding a project that threatens to undo this progress. "During the war, my family was expelled from this area," a resident explained. "After the war, there was an agreement that those expelled had the right to return. The international community and state gave tons of money to rebuild vineyards and water supplies. Now, the EBRD is killing the sustainable economy they helped create."

Bankwatch told bne IntelliNews that local activists have faced pressure and threats from JP Autoceste. In a 2021 meeting, JP Autoceste representatives allegedly accused activists of supporting individual private interests against the greater public good and spreading rumours to divide the community. This reported attempt to undermine opposition has only strengthened local resolve to fight for fair treatment and proper consultation. "We want to start the process from the very beginning," a local activist said. "We want three route options, public discussion, and proper environmental and social studies. If this route is still deemed the best, then they should respect the expropriation law and not divide the land unfairly."

On June 24, local activists filed a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Council about the motorway project. They claim that the rejection of an alternative route through the surrounding hills was never convincingly explained. 

Their position has been vindicated by the EBRD’s accountability mechanism, which in early 2024 confirmed that the route selection process breached the development bank’s policies and recommended a new assessment. “However, the EBRD has been slow to act, leaving the project in a deadlock,” Bankwatch said in its report.

“The EU and its banks have been proudly vocal about their financing of the Corridor Vc motorway, but much less so about the need to properly consult people about the routing. We are therefore turning to the UN to help uphold the affected people’s right to property, as a crucial source of income, security and stability, as well as the right to participate in decision-making,” said Azra Durakovic, a local activist.

“The international community helped people to rebuild their lives in this area after the last war, and now they are complicit in building a motorway across their properties. This land can’t be ceded for an illegal and illegitimate motorway route, especially when reasonable alternatives exist,” she added.

In early June, JP Autoceste responded to public concerns by organising three open days to increase transparency and engage with the community regarding the Prenj Tunnel, part of the motorway. JP Autoceste presented the events as a step forward in transparency and public engagement. Attended by representatives from JP Autoceste, the EBRD and consultancy Enova, the open days allowed the public to discuss routing, design and environmental impacts with project designers. 

According to a Bankwatch spokesperson who attended, “The open days format looks like a promising engagement tool to complement public consultations, but shouldn’t be seen as a replacement,” noting that it seemed more focused on providing information than genuine consultation, with challenges in accurately recording and integrating feedback. 

The future of Corridor Vc remains uncertain. With strong local opposition and profound environmental and social concerns, the EU, EBRD and EIB are under pressure to ensure that the project adheres to the highest standards of transparency, consultation and sustainability. The stakes are high, not just for the people of Bosnia but for the credibility of the EU and its commitment to responsible development. 

As one resident succinctly put it: "A motorway is not built every few years; it is built once. It has to be done right, even if it takes a bit longer."