“Balkans won’t be isolated after Croatia joins EU”

SARAJEVO The Balkans will not be isolated after Croatia joins the EU and I do not see any reason to stop the EU enlargement, Croatia’s President Ivo Josipovic has said. “I believe in the future of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” he told Turkish Anadolu news agency, commenting on statements that Bosnia-Herzegovina’s future was disputable. “Balkans won’t be isolated after Croatia joins EU” “I do not see a reason to doubt Bosnia-Herzegovina’s future. Bosnia-Herzegovina survived and I would say in much more difficult situations than today,” the Croatian president said, adding that his country saw Bosnia as an independent sovereign state and a friend. “I do not see any reason why Bosnia-Herzegovina should not be an EU member state tomorrow with smart policy, which I do not doubt at all,” he stressed. Commenting on a position of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Josipovic said it was an “issue that needs to be solved by people, citizens and peoples in Bosnia-Herzegovina”. He stressed that the border between Bosnia and Croatia must not be the “Chinese wall” after Croatia joined the EU on July 1. “We consider Bosnia-Herzegovina maybe our most important neighbor. We have numerous trade and cultural ties. We consider this stage, in which Croatia is an EU member and Bosnia-Herzegovina is not, a transitional period. We will do everything to help Bosnia-Herzegovina become an EU member state,” the Croatian president noted. He believes that the rest of the Western Balkans would not be isolated after Croatia’s EU accession due to leading EU member states’ anti-enlargement stances. “What seems very important to me, is to say that Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and tomorrow Kosovo should implement the reforms they are expected to implement. It simply is not possible to join the EU without implementing reforms and the experience confirms it. I do not see any reason to stop the EU enlargement. The only obstacle could be unsatisfactory implementation of reforms. We had stalemate period in Croatia. However, we have implemented all reforms. By implementing the reforms we have become a better society. I am sure that our neighbors will benefit from the reforms on the EU pathway,” Josipovic said. He denied a possibility of Germany monitoring Croatia after the country joined the EU. “Those are individual positions of individual representatives in the German parliament. This is a part of democracy. It would not be good if everyone thought the same. The official German policy is very clear and I do not see any obstructive factor that would cause us not to become an EU member on July 1,” the Croatia’s president said. He added that he was under the impression that relations between the countries of the region were improving, especially between Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. Ivo Josipovic (FoNet, file) Anadolu

“Balkans won’t be isolated after Croatia joins EU”

“I do not see a reason to doubt Bosnia-Herzegovina’s future. Bosnia-Herzegovina survived and I would say in much more difficult situations than today,” the Croatian president said, adding that his country saw Bosnia as an independent sovereign state and a friend.

“I do not see any reason why Bosnia-Herzegovina should not be an EU member state tomorrow with smart policy, which I do not doubt at all,” he stressed.

Commenting on a position of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Josipović said it was an “issue that needs to be solved by people, citizens and peoples in Bosnia-Herzegovina”.

He stressed that the border between Bosnia and Croatia must not be the “Chinese wall” after Croatia joined the EU on July 1.

“We consider Bosnia-Herzegovina maybe our most important neighbor. We have numerous trade and cultural ties. We consider this stage, in which Croatia is an EU member and Bosnia-Herzegovina is not, a transitional period. We will do everything to help Bosnia-Herzegovina become an EU member state,” the Croatian president noted.

He believes that the rest of the Western Balkans would not be isolated after Croatia’s EU accession due to leading EU member states’ anti-enlargement stances.

“What seems very important to me, is to say that Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and tomorrow Kosovo should implement the reforms they are expected to implement. It simply is not possible to join the EU without implementing reforms and the experience confirms it. I do not see any reason to stop the EU enlargement. The only obstacle could be unsatisfactory implementation of reforms. We had stalemate period in Croatia. However, we have implemented all reforms. By implementing the reforms we have become a better society. I am sure that our neighbors will benefit from the reforms on the EU pathway,” Josipović said.

He denied a possibility of Germany monitoring Croatia after the country joined the EU.

“Those are individual positions of individual representatives in the German parliament. This is a part of democracy. It would not be good if everyone thought the same. The official German policy is very clear and I do not see any obstructive factor that would cause us not to become an EU member on July 1,” the Croatia’s president said.

He added that he was under the impression that relations between the countries of the region were improving, especially between Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.