Croatia "won't blackmail neighbors" - president

Croatia "won't blackmail neighbors" - president

In an interview with the Belgrade daily Večernje Novosti on the eve of the third meeting of the "Brdo-Brioni" process, where further enlargement of the European Union will be discussed, Josipović said that Merkel's arrival means that the EU wants to continue to expand in the Balkans.

He stressed that the Croatian parliament adopted a declaration "which clearly indicates that neighbors will not be blackmailed or their efforts to join the EU hampered," but added that resolution of outstanding issues would be important when assessing fulfillment of membership conditions.

"By that I do not mean that Croatia would blackmail its neighbors, but that the ability to resolve outstanding issues with neighbors will be an important test for all of us," he said.

The Croatian president added that the main message of the meeting in Dubrovnik would be that "the EU considers the whole region to be part of Europe and that the future of all countries of the region is in the EU."

"Of course, candidates will have to meet serious conditions. Discussions about joint efforts to build infrastructure, European energy policy and the place of Southeast Europe, as well as issues of cooperation in the region, are a clear sign of such a political standpoint," said Josipović.

He added that "the policy of good neighborly relations and awareness of the need for collaboration, particularly in the transport and energy infrastructure, fits the expectations of Europe."

Assessing the first year of his country's membership in the EU, Josipović said it was "successful" - but that EU funds "could have been used better to kickstart the economy."

Asked to assess current relations between Belgrade and Zagreb, Josipović said that in recent years "a lot of good work has been done to improve relations and that today we have substantial military cooperation, something that was unthinkable until recently."

"Our cooperation is quite developed, and the progress is not spectacular, but is permanent. As such, it is less visible and attractive to the public," said Josipović.

The Croatian president is of the opinion that the moment of Serbia's EU membership depends "only on Serbia, and on the pace of reforms," and added that he wished this would happen "as soon as possible."