Costs were steep. As the country’s debt load soared past 90% of its GDP in the wake of the pandemic, Montenegro announced in 2021 that it was unable to pay Chinese loans and was facing bankruptcy. European and American banks stepped in, bringing the country’s debt ratio down to 60% of GDP.
Even still, Penič couldn’t shake the feeling that the Balkans should be able to fix their own roads. “Communist Yugoslavia — the big one — we were the world’s builders,” he said with a frown. “Now, we have to pay someone else.”
How come “the world’s builders” didn’t build a motorway at his home?
Have they considered taxing the rich people that go there?
Does this qualify?
The A-1 was convenient — but like many here, she was also honest about its downsides. “This road is very, very, very expensive,” she said, speaking in English. “And there’s corruption.”
