E-94

The last international document carrying the signature of the late SFRY is the one from Brussels, dated June 26, 1991. The paper concerns neither the so called Yugoslav crisis, nor the "situation" in Yugoslavia. It is neither a threat, nor an ultimatum, not even a blackmail or a dictate. The word goes about an offer of good intentions - and a nice amount of money. Namely, the document was co-signed by the European Community, guaranteeing 580 million ECU (cc 800 million dollars) investment in the completion of E-94 road building on Karavanke - Djevdjelija route.

Talking to VREME reporter, Petar Radenovic, the Federal Minister for Transportation Assistant, considers this document a proof that Europe, up to the last minute, counted on Yugoslavia as some kind of united entity. The "last minute" phrase should be understood literally, since it was on that same day - June 26, 1991 - that Slovenia and Croatia declared independence; the European Investment Bank responsible officials surely would have not signed the document if they had not believed in its prospects. By the way, the sum mentioned was the largest ever approved to any country outside the EEC. Furthermore, at the same time there was another contract ready for signing - the Third sector loan for roads, envisaging the World Bank investment of 292 million dollars in the trans-Yugoslav highway. The loan terms were favorable (as always before): payment in 15-20 years period, with installments every 5 years - only the road to the East to be finished.

According to experts from the Federal Ministry for Transportation and Belgrade Institute for Roads, the highway route through (former) Yugoslavia is the result of European-Yugoslav compromise. These experts evaluate the traffic interruption, caused by the latest Balkan wars, as a European "traffic infarct", i.e. "traffic catastrophe".

Notwithstanding the differences in viewing and building their "brotherhood and unity" roads, no party, from Djevdjelija to Jesenice, has renounced itself the sweat earnings from road tolls. For Serbia, in the last "normal" year (1990), they meant 100 million dollars of gross revenue, i.e. 80 million "pure" dollars. As a standard, 150-200 million dollars a year could be expected only from tolls taken from foreigners along the whole highway in former Yugoslavia. The tolls by themselves were sufficient to pay off the "annuities of the last year signed European Investment Bank and World Bank loans" - stresses Nenad Stojicevic, from the Federal Ministry for Transportation and Communications.

Prospects for any reasonable calculations were interrupted on September 15 last year, when the "Serbian defenders" pushed back the Croatian militia and the Croatian National Guard forces near the place of Okucani. The Republic of Serbian Krajina, as it calls itself, holds today 48 kilometers of the highway between Novska and Nova Gradiska, and a few kilometers by the Serbian border, between Batrovac and Lipovac. Shortly, along the 400 kilometers Zagreb - Belgrade highway, famous for national hatred and love, for more than a year nothing significant happens but a local traffic on a personal risk and movements of UNPROFOR, UN High Commissariat for Refuges and EC Missions' vehicles, announced to whom it may concern.

The highway could be opened by the end of this week. However, this announcement should be taken with reservations, since it is at least the third one in last two months. Taking everything into account, for a long period only convoys of United Nations, International Red Cross, European Community and commercial transportation vehicles, registered outside former Yugoslav republics, will drive along the former "Brotherhood and Unity" highway, or the "Peace Road", according to the Federal Prime Minister Milan Panic's idea, or simply, along the international road E-94.

The reason for this restriction of unpredictable lasting basically can be found in the fact that two of the interested parties (Republic of Croatia and the so called Republic of Serbian Krajina) condition their agreement to highway opening by the recognition of their sovereignty: Croatia wishes to be recognized by Serbia (and/or FR of Yugoslavia), Republic of Serbian Krajina - by Croatia, Yugoslavia, United Nations and, in general, by everybody. Milan Panic probably takes part in this whole confusion because of a very simple and publicly declared goal: to lift the sanctions of the country he is the Prime Minister of. One should bear in mind that the re-establishment of communication is a part of Vance's plan (binding both Serbia and Croatia) as well as a definite requirement of all international actors involved and drawn into the Yugoslav crisis; moreover, the highway opening was initiated by Jeanny Peterson (UNPROFOR) nearly two months ago.

"A part of the highway going through Krajina is under its full control and no arrangements concerning the highway could be set up and accepted without the participation of the Republic of Serbian Krajina Government". Before giving the quoted statement, the president of the Krajina Government Zdravko Zecevic offered a list of conditions for his Government's approval to (non public) inspection. The announced convoys under the UNPROFOR protection can pass through only if approved by Krajina's authorities, if Croatia under the same terms makes possible the passing of Krajina's convoys towards Ljubljana and Belgrade, if the Krajina authorities check the identity of persons, vehicles and goods transports, and if Croatia stops its artillery attacks on the corridor going through the Serbian Republic. If one disregards the fact that - in only few sentences - one state (Krajina), on the back of the other state (FRY), poses conditions to the third state (Croatia) in regard to its behavior towards the forth state (The Serbian Republic), everything becomes easy: Krajina guarantees safety to organized convoys on its part of the highway. The Krajina Government by the way "keeps the right to charge the customs duties and road tolls, to control the highway and to keep it in order along our route".

In short, it is obvious that the participants of the "political accomplishment" of the highway opening (even if they do not allow the entry to vehicles with registration plates carrying the symbols which can disturb their sensitive democratic public, the way that Slovenia "welcomes" Serbian-Montenegrin vehicles, Croatia Serbian, and Serbia Croatian etc.) see the traveling along the former "Brotherhood and Unity" route as a continuous line of border ramps (Europe/Slovenia, Slovenia/Croatia, Croatia/Krajina, Krajina/Croatia, Croatia/Krajina, Krajina/Serbia, Serbia/Macedonia, Macedonia/Greece), police, customs and who knows what other kinds of control. A journey by car, which on this distance lasts 6 hours (including the coffee break) in the majority of the European countries, is threatened to turn into a risky, at least one-day long, traveling.

The only thing working at this moment to the benefit of Milan Panic and the future of citizens of all former Yugoslav republics is the simple calculation showing that building a new road across Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria (it would by minimum take 10 years and would be very expensive) in order to circuit the Balkans and leave it to its own savages would not pay. In other words, for Europe, the former "Brotherhood-and Unity" is indeed the best road towards the East. This interest has given rise to the political pressure for road opening, and this opening could be the first, in every business the most important, step on the way to some dignified future. It will be better, after the experience with "Brotherhood and Unity", and not only against the bad luck, if the "new" road is not named the "Peace Road". The mark "E-94" would suffice to recognize it on the map, and travel along it. To the East or to the West, doesn't matter.

Road condition

 Total km Not built Built km (%)

SFRY 1167 464 703 (60,2)

Slovenia 184 129 55 (29,9)

Croatia 307 97 210 (68,4)

Serbia 500 126 374 (74,8)

Macedonia 176 112 64 (36,4)