Today in the European Parliament MEP Dubravka Šuica organized and launched the project called ˝Pelješac Bridge and Wine˝, which was attended by many prominent MEPs, businessmen and representatives of the European Commission, under whose authority lies the construction of the Pelješac Bridge - a capital project that would finally not only territorially connect Croatia but also the European Union.
˝Not only are the Pelješac Bridge and connecting the Croatian south mentioned in the Partnership Agreement between the EU and Croatia, but the construction of the bridge began more than 10 years ago with the laying of the foundations on both sides of the Pelješac channel,˝ said MEP Šuica, stressing that by passing through a small maze and by presenting their passport, every visitor to today's exhibition could, in a small part, experience the everyday situation of those living in the south of Croatia.
Building on words of the Head of the Croatian EPP Delegation to the EPP Dubravka Šuica, the Prefect of Dubrovnik - Neretva County, Mr. Nikola Dobroslavić, said that the residents of his county are ˝second class citizens˝ due territorial disconnectedness and that only the construction of the Pelješac Bridge can change this.
The designer of the Pelješac Bridge, rather the European Bridge, Dr. Jure Radić, said that the project and the idea of building a bridge has existed since Croatian independence, and added: ˝We are ready, the bridge has all the licenses, and I believe that construction will already begin this year and will be completed in 3-4 years; the purposes of this bridge are safety, durability, economic integration and beauty˝.
Herald Ruijters, from the European Commission, reiterated that resources for the financing of the bridge come from different sources, primarily from the Regional Development Fund, but also from the newly emerging fund that was recently presented in the European Parliament by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Win Van De Camp, the EPP's Coordinator of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, is very well acquainted with the Pelješac Bridge project and regards its implementation as a big stimulus for the economy in Croatia, adding: ˝The construction of the bridge is a direct link and path for Croatian winemakers to the European market.˝
Herbert Dorfmann, the Italian member from South Tyrol and President of the Intergroup for Wine in the European Parliament, stressed that with its excellent wines, Croatia enriches the big European family of wine producers.
Finally, renowned Croatian sommelier, Alexander Noršić, highlighted that the bridge will ease access of the European common market to the indigenous varieties of premium wines in Dubrovnik - Neretva County.
