Kroatië stemt in met voorstel EU over grensconflict (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Zagreb has accepted EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn i's latest proposal aimed at solving the lengthy border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia, currently blocking Croatia's EU membership talks.
"We will inform Olli Rehn in the next 24 hours. Essentially, we are accepting this proposal," Croatian president Stjepan Mesic said after a meeting with Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and the leaders of the political parties in Zagreb.
"This was a 'take it or leave it' proposal. And we chose to take it," he said, Reuters reports.
The 18-year long border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia reached a new low in December when Slovenia blocked several chapters of Croatia's EU membership negotiations over the issue.
Mr Rehn then intervened in the process in January, proposing to set up a mediation group to help break the deadlock.
His proposal has since been revised several times. The last version, presented at the end of April, suggested that both countries should solve the dispute via a five-member international arbitration tribunal that would operate in line with international law – a point Croatia strongly insisting on.
In an interview with Austrian daily Der Standard last week, Mr Rehn said that he had no more ideas and that he hoped to receive positive responses from the two countries in the first half of May.
"I expect a positive response to our compromise proposal because my creativity as well as that of the European Commission's legal department have been exhausted, and that says something," Mr Rehn said.
But while Croatia has accepted the proposal, Slovenia's reaction has been much more reserved.
Ljubljana says it is still analysing it and will reply after 10 May. The heads of the country's political parties will meet on Wednesday, while the government is to discuss it on Thursday.
"Consultations are ongoing... We don't see it as a ‘take it or leave it' proposal," one diplomatic source told EUobserver.
Additionally, Slovenia is very likely to request some changes.
"We will definitely have some amendments to the draft agreement. I would like to debate and get a consensus on these amendments with all parties in [parliament]," Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor i said.
Slovenia and Croatia have been unable to agree on their common land and sea border since they both seceded from Yugoslavia in 1991, with a patch of the Adriatic Sea close to the Slovenian city of Piran causing the most difficulty.
Croatia argues the border should lie in the middle of the bay of Piran, but Slovenia says this would deny its ships direct access to international waters.
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