CROATIA’S BID to join the EU in 2011 has taken an important step forward following a decision by Slovenia to lift a block on its accession talks. Slovenia’s prime minister Borut Pahor announced at a joint press conference with his Croatian counterpart yesterday they had decided how to resolve a long-standing border dispute that has held up the talks for a year.
“The government will immediately propose (to parliamentary committees) that Slovenia removes restraints for Croatia’s EU negotiating process,” said Mr Pahor after talks with Croatian prime minister Jadranka Kosor in Ljubjlana.
Slovenia, which joined the EU in 2004, has used its veto to block Croatia’s EU membership negotiations because of a border dispute with Croatia, which it alleges denies its ships access to international waters. The EU had attempted to mediate in the dispute but was unsuccessful.
However, relations between the countries from the former Yugoslavia have improved significantly since Ms Kosor became Croatia’s first female prime minister in July, following the surprise resignation of Ivo Sanander.
Ms Kosor said Croatia had pledged that no documents used in the EU negotiations would be prejudicial to the outcome of the border dispute, which dates back to the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991. This was a key demand made by Slovenia before it agreed to unblock Croatia’s membership talks and enter international mediation to resolve the border dispute.
“I just faxed a letter to the Swedish presidency (of the EU) where I said clearly that we reached an agreement on the continuation of talks with the EU and continuation of the border talks. No document can be prejudicial to the final border solution,” said Ms Kosor, who is hopeful that Croatia will be able to complete its membership talks and join the Union sometime in 2011.
Croatian diplomats said they hoped the membership talks could be completed within six months allowing enough time for all 27 EU states to ratify its accession treaty in 2011. Ireland hopes to use the Croatian accession treaty as a vehicle to get its guarantees on the Lisbon Treaty ratified by EU states to make them legally binding under EU law.
Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt welcomed the removal of the veto and said the EU presidency would aim to restart accession talks as soon as possible.