Slovenia PM: Relations with Croatia can progress if border ruling is accepted

REUTERS/Srdjan Zivulovic

Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec said on Wednesday he saw no possibility of progress in the relations between Slovenia and Croatia as long as Zagreb continues to reject the arbitration ruling determining the border between the two countries.

Slovenia’s previous government, led by Miro Cerar, who is currently serving as Foreign Minister, filed a lawsuit against Croatia before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) earlier this year, saying Croatia was in breach of EU law by refusing to implement the arbitration ruling reached in June 2017.

The new cabinet, confirmed in September and led by Prime Minister Sarec of the centre-left LMS party, has maintained that stance.

“We have suggested that Croatia accepts the idea to establish a commission for border demarcation. We could talk about that after Croatia says it accepts the arbitration ruling. Until that happens, I see no possibility of progress (in our relations),” Sarec told the Slovenian state news agency STA.

Croatia does not recognise the arbitration decision, and has withdrawn from the process in 2015 because of a scandal which involved leaked tapes showing Slovenian government official discussing the case with the court’s judge.

Slovenia and Croatia had presented their cases before the European Commission (EC) in May this year, and the EC decided in mid-June to remain neutral in the matter and allow the countries to resolve the issue themselves.

After becoming Prime Minister, Sarec has visited Berlin, where he spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who offered Berlin’s help in solving the dispute between Slovenia and Croatia. She had said then it was time to resolve the matter, and that Germany would support all efforts to do so.

Two months ago, after meeting with Sarec during an informal EU summit in Salzburg, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that Zagreb’s position on the border issue remained unchanged – for Croatia, the arbitration process was “irreversibly contaminated” and Slovenia’s lawsuit before the CJEU was unnecessary, since the issue is bilateral and should be resolved as such.

He added he wished a solution could be found which would be acceptable to both sides.

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