Rehn: Croatia’s EU chances dimming

The border dispute with Slovenia is threatening the EU’s goal of finishing negotiations with Croatia this year, says Olli Rehn.

Izvor: B92

Thursday, 05.02.2009.

13:48

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The border dispute with Slovenia is threatening the EU’s goal of finishing negotiations with Croatia this year, says Olli Rehn. “Every day the risk grows that our time schedule will slip away,” the EU enlargement commissioner told the Financial Times. Rehn, who firmly believes in EU expansion, added that, since 2004, EU expansion had increased the EU’s geopolitical leverage and economic capacities. Rehn: Croatia’s EU chances dimming He said the ongoing dispute with Slovenia was endangering Croatia-EU negotiations, particularly the plan for Croatia to complete negotiations this year. Rehn said that the border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia concerned, above all, Slovenian access to international waters, adding that some European experts believe that the recent ruling of the International Court of Justice at The Hague, which determined the previously controversial maritime borders between Ukraine and Romania, provides a precedent for the Croatia-Slovenia dispute. Nevertheless, said Rehn, Slovenian and Croatian experts cannot agree to the conditions under which they would present their cases to the court. “Negative rhetoric is currently heightening in the public debate in both countries. That worries us, although nothing crucial has yet occurred, and because of that we have every reason to seek a solution,” he said, adding that he hoped a European group of experts would be formed in the next two weeks, comprising no more than three members, to prepare a report on resolving the border dispute. Rehn told the Financial Times that the three main tasks before Croatia in its EU negotiations were getting tougher on corruption and organized crime, accepting Brussels’ plan for restructuring shipyards, and finding a mechanism for resolving the border dispute with Slovenia. Olli Rehn (FoNet)

Rehn: Croatia’s EU chances dimming

He said the ongoing dispute with Slovenia was endangering Croatia-EU negotiations, particularly the plan for Croatia to complete negotiations this year.

Rehn said that the border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia concerned, above all, Slovenian access to international waters, adding that some European experts believe that the recent ruling of the International Court of Justice at The Hague, which determined the previously controversial maritime borders between Ukraine and Romania, provides a precedent for the Croatia-Slovenia dispute.

Nevertheless, said Rehn, Slovenian and Croatian experts cannot agree to the conditions under which they would present their cases to the court.

“Negative rhetoric is currently heightening in the public debate in both countries. That worries us, although nothing crucial has yet occurred, and because of that we have every reason to seek a solution,” he said, adding that he hoped a European group of experts would be formed in the next two weeks, comprising no more than three members, to prepare a report on resolving the border dispute.

Rehn told the Financial Times that the three main tasks before Croatia in its EU negotiations were getting tougher on corruption and organized crime, accepting Brussels’ plan for restructuring shipyards, and finding a mechanism for resolving the border dispute with Slovenia.

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