EU member state has 'reservations' about the opening of talks on three policy areas. Slovenia is once again blocking Croatia's negotiations on admission to the European Union and is thwarting attempts to advance its neighbour's membership talks next week. Slovenia held up the EU's talks with Croatia for most of 2009 over an unresolved border dispute and allowed negotiations to resume only in October, after the two countries agreed to submit the dispute to international arbitration. But despite the agreement that bilateral questions should not further delay Croatia's accession bid, Slovenia is again obstructing the membership negotiations.
Slovenia is once again blocking Croatia's negotiations on admission to the European Union and is thwarting attempts to advance its neighbour's membership talks next week.
Slovenia held up the EU's talks with Croatia for most of 2009 over an unresolved border dispute and allowed negotiations to resume only in October, after the two countries agreed to submit the dispute to international arbitration.
But despite the agreement that bilateral questions should not further delay Croatia's accession bid, Slovenia is again obstructing the membership negotiations.
Either that or it's the US.
It's not necessarily the goal here to slow down EU expansion but maybe to ensure that Croatia's accession is delayed until it can join simultaneously with Serbia. En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
It is good that Slovenia did not want Serbia's SAA with the EU to be conditional on Kosovo's independence, and that the U.S. at least did not want it to seem to be so. Surrendering territory should not be the price of entry into the European club. Surrendering perpetrators of genocide should be. Serbia still shields Ratko Mladić, the butcher of Srebrenica. According to Politika, Slovenia complained to the U.S. that the Netherlands and Belgium are insisting on Serbia's compliance with the ICTY; and the U.S. promised to tell the Dutch that an SAA for Serbia is more important for stabilizing the region than compliance with the Hague. Now that is disrespect for international law. The Dutch have held out, forcing EU foreign ministers to compromise on offering Serbia an interim agreement instead of a full-fledged SAA. Messy, but possibly for the best.
According to Politika, Slovenia complained to the U.S. that the Netherlands and Belgium are insisting on Serbia's compliance with the ICTY; and the U.S. promised to tell the Dutch that an SAA for Serbia is more important for stabilizing the region than compliance with the Hague. Now that is disrespect for international law.
The Dutch have held out, forcing EU foreign ministers to compromise on offering Serbia an interim agreement instead of a full-fledged SAA. Messy, but possibly for the best.
