EC was right to stay neutral in border dispute, PM says

“I think the Commission’s decision was right. To stay out of this kind of a dispute is the best the Commission could’ve done,” Plenkovic told the press.

The European Commission said on Monday it would remain neutral in the matter of Croatia-Slovenia border dispute, and would not respond to Slovenia’s complaint that Croatia was breaking European Union law by not implementing the arbitration decision, which it does not recognise. The European Commission said the two EU members must find the solution for the border dispute in the spirit of friendship.

The arbitration ruling, reached in June 2017, determined the land and sea borders between the two countries.

“I repeat Croatia’s stance that we want to solve this border issue with Slovenia, which is our neighbour and our friend,” Plenkovic said.

He added that the issue was not so major as to sour the two countries’ relations in any way.

“On the contrary, we will do our best, after the new government in Slovenia is formed, to talk with our partners and look for a solution,” Plenkovic said.

Slovenia wrote to the European Commission in March this year with the suggestion of filing a lawsuit against Croatia at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), hoping the Commission would side with Slovenia in the planned lawsuit over Croatia’s refusal to implement the arbitration decision on the border between the two countries.

Slovenian media reported today that Slovenia intended to go through with the planned lawsuit at the CJEU against Croatia even without the support from the European Commission, and that a new legal team had been hired for the purpose.

Plenkovic said that looking for a solution through legal means is “not the right path for our countries as partners in the European Union, NATO allies and two friendly countries.”

“This is why we will once again offer our friends in Slovenia alternative solutions to this dispute, which, I believe, could be accepted in both countries’ parliaments,” the prime minister said.

Plenkovic added that he and the Croatia’s representatives did everything to protect national interests, and that the European Commission’s decision was reached in large part due to intensive dialogue and a good performance of the Croatian legal team at the hearing in Brussels.

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