On Monday 8 January, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the accession of the Western Balkans to the EU was linked to the resolution of the conflict between Slovenia and Croatia, and added that there was no question of any country joining the EU without having settled its territorial problems.
"The unresolved issue of the border problem between Slovenia and Croatia has an impact on the perspective of the Western Balkans becoming EU members", Juncker said at a press conference in Brussels with Slovenia's President Burot Pahor. These two Balkans countries still have a border dispute, despite an arbitration court decision in favour of Ljubljana. In its treaty of accession to the EU, which was signed in 2011, Croatia committed to recognising the arbitration court's decision.
"When it comes to the accession of the Western Balkans countries, I would disagree more than ever with the resolution of border problems being left until later. All these problems between the Balkans countries must have a response found before these countries' accession. We cannot use prolongations as we are doing today (between Croatia and Slovenia). These countries need to agree with each other before becoming EU members", Juncker warned. "The future enlargement of the EU towards the Western Balkans is in the hands of Slovenia and Croatia. Never again! A response needs to be found to the border problems before the finalisation of accession agreements", he said.
Juncker stated that the Commission was ready to take on a mediation role between the two parties "on the basis of the arbitration court's decision". "We do not deny that there may be slight differences that the Croatian government brings to the interpretation (of the decision) but the differences between the two countries are tiny", Juncker said.
Slovenia's president meanwhile backed more ambitious action from the Commission. "The Commission could be more active still (...) I am here to ask the Commission, its president and its vice-president Timmermans to commit more actively towards the implementation of the arbitration decision", he said, deeming that the Commission had the "political and moral duty" to be more involved. Juncker stated that the Commission's proposal of mediation had thus far received "a response that is not particularly positive", but that the Commission would continue to bring the two parties closer together.
Pahor also called on Croatia to respect its commitments, saying that it was "in breach of what it signed in its treaty of accession". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)