Brussels, 03/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - The dispute on delineation of the maritime and land borders between Slovenia and Croatia continues to block Croatia's talks on membership to the Union, seriously casting doubt on Zagreb's objective (backed by the Commission) to close talks by the end of this year. The border dispute had already upset last December's meeting (negotiators were only able to cover four chapters - three closures and one opening - while several other dossiers were technically ready - EUROPE 9808), but it is not even certain that the next membership conference scheduled for 27 March will be able to take place. All will depend on the response that the two countries will give to the mediation initiative launched in January by Olli Rehn (EUROPE 9826). The enlargement commissioner suggested setting up a high level expert group under the chairmanship of former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari with a view to facilitating a settlement to what the Commission considers is a “bilateral problem” between the two countries. Croatia, which hopes to take the matter before an international court rather than see it treated in the context of EU membership talks, announced on 2 March that it was to give its response within a week (9 March at the latest). Consultation is already underway in Zagreb between the government and opposition parties with a view to reaching a common position on the subject. The Slovenian government, for its part, has already given its agreement of principle to the initiative by Mr Rehn, but underlines that the exact mandate and working arrangements of the group have still to be defined and specified. Even if Croatia were to accept the Commission's proposal, the three parties would still have to agree on the details of mediation, it is stressed on the Slovenian side.
All this may take time, which has led Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor to suggest that the Czech EU Presidency should postpone the negotiation meeting of 27 March by several weeks until April or May (Mr Pahor put this suggestion to Mirek Topolánek, Czech Prime Minister and President-in-Office of the EU Council, on the sidelines of the informal European Council on 1 March in Brussels). The Czech EU Presidency has not yet taken a decision. It will await the Croatian response before deciding to hold the membership conference. “No decision has yet been taken. We shall have to wait”, a spokesman for the Presidency said quite simply on Tuesday 3 March.
The European Commission considers there is still sufficient time to prepare the meeting on 27 March, on condition that the two countries rapidly reach an agreement to accept European mediation. “I expect a positive response to our initiative by both countries, without such impossible conditions that would effectively imply its rejection” (by the other party), said Olli Rehn during a conference on the Western Balkans on Tuesday 3 March in Brussels. “Otherwise, I am concerned that Croatia may be prevented from concluding its accession negotiations in the envisaged timeline”, the enlargement commissioner added. Mr Rehn nonetheless said he was “confident” that Zagreb would close talks by the end of the year.
In total, 12 of the 35 chapters under negotiation are currently blocked by Slovenia due to the border dispute. This includes 9 chapters that are technically ready to be opened (free movement of capital, agriculture, food safety, fisheries, regional policy, justice/freedom/security, environment, foreign policy, security and defence) and 3 chapters that are ready to be closed: trans-European networks, customs union and company law. In all, Croatia has so far opened 22 chapters. Seven chapters (intellectual property right, economic and monetary union, information society, enterprise and industrial policy, science and research, education/culture, external relations) are already provisionally closed. (H.B./transl.jl)