Stockholm, 01/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - Just as Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader was announcing his intention to step down and withdraw from political life, on Wednesday 1 July, the Swedish Presidency of the EU European Commission called on Croatia and Slovenia to take new initiatives to resolve their border dispute, which has been blocking Croatia's accession negotiations since December 2008. After the breakdown of the mediation efforts of Commissioner Olli Rehn, the time has now come for the two countries to put forward solutions to break the deadlock themselves, said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, speaking in Stockholm on Wednesday. "Now we need new initiatives from the two countries" he stressed, after the meeting of his government with the European Commission in Stockholm (see other articles). José Manuel Barroso stressed that "if there is a delay (in Croatia's accession negotiations), then it is not because of a lack of engagement and initiatives from the Commission, because Olli Rehn did great work to try to facilitate an agreement". The Commission is also looking at "new ways" to find a solution, Mr Barroso added.
Without going into detail over the reasons for his resignation, Mr Sanader acknowledged that Slovenia's blocking of his country's accession negotiations was a factor. "The EU and the project of European integration have no chance if we accept the principle of blackmail (Ed: a reference to Slovenia) as one of principles of the functioning of the EU", he told the press (our translation). In Stockholm, Swedish Foreign Minister and acting President of the Council of the EU Carl Bildt deplored the "loss" of Mr Sanader, whom he described as an "important figure for the reforms and European integration" of Croatia. (H.B./trans.fl)