Croatia and Turkey today took steps towards eventual EU membership. Croatia wrapped up accession talks in two policy areas - right of establishment and freedom to provide services, and social policy and employment - while Turkey opened talks on the environment chapter. Both countries began membership talks at the same time, October 2005, but while Croatia is poised to become an EU member state in 2012, Turkey's membership appears far more distant. A third membership candidate, Macedonia, has not even begun accession talks because Greece objects to its name. Gordan Jandroković, Croatia's foreign minister, told reporters after today's meeting that Slovenia was still blocking three chapters that Croatia had hoped to open today, and for which it has fulfilled all preconditions.
Both countries began membership talks at the same time, October 2005, but while Croatia is poised to become an EU member state in 2012, Turkey's membership appears far more distant. A third membership candidate, Macedonia, has not even begun accession talks because Greece objects to its name.
Gordan Jandroković, Croatia's foreign minister, told reporters after today's meeting that Slovenia was still blocking three chapters that Croatia had hoped to open today, and for which it has fulfilled all preconditions.
The people of Croatia go to the polls on Sunday (27 December) to vote for the country's third president since independence from Yugoslavia in 1990. But no candidate is expected to gain an outright majority and a run-off vote has been scheduled for 10 January. The incumbent, Stjepan Mesić, is popular but cannot stand for a third consecutive five-year term in office. Several independent candidates are likely to take votes that would ordinarily go to the candidates of Croatia's main parties, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) - which has ruled the country for most of its independence - and the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP). The centre-left vote has been split by Milan Bandić, the populist mayor of Zagreb and a prominent member of the SDP, although the SDP's official candidate, Ivo Josipović, is ahead in the polls, with around 20-25% of the vote. Bandić defied his party over the presidential nomination and is now running as an independent; polls put his support at around 15%.
The incumbent, Stjepan Mesić, is popular but cannot stand for a third consecutive five-year term in office. Several independent candidates are likely to take votes that would ordinarily go to the candidates of Croatia's main parties, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) - which has ruled the country for most of its independence - and the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The centre-left vote has been split by Milan Bandić, the populist mayor of Zagreb and a prominent member of the SDP, although the SDP's official candidate, Ivo Josipović, is ahead in the polls, with around 20-25% of the vote. Bandić defied his party over the presidential nomination and is now running as an independent; polls put his support at around 15%.
Croatia on Monday (21 December) closed two more negotiation chapters in its bid to join the EU, but Slovenia is blocking the opening of three other areas. [...] For the past year, Ljubljana has blocked Zagreb's accession talks over a maritime border dispute. The deadlock was broken in mid-November when Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor signed an agreement with her Slovenian counterpart to allow for UN arbitration of the matter. Slovenia is the only republic of the former Yugoslavia currently in the EU, while Croatia is hoping to become the 28th member of the bloc by 2012.
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For the past year, Ljubljana has blocked Zagreb's accession talks over a maritime border dispute. The deadlock was broken in mid-November when Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor signed an agreement with her Slovenian counterpart to allow for UN arbitration of the matter.
Slovenia is the only republic of the former Yugoslavia currently in the EU, while Croatia is hoping to become the 28th member of the bloc by 2012.
Makes sense, given that one of the factors precipitating the previous border dispute was the Croatian declaration (ostensibly for environmental reasons) of an Exclusive Economic Zone in an area where Slovenia would like to fish.
Seriously, blocking the start of EU-level talks on fisheries and environment as a way to gain leverage in a bilateral dispute over fisheries and the environment seems like subverting the EU's purpose. If the Slovenians want to fish in Croatian waters, isn't Croatian accession to the Common Fisheries Policy one easy way to achieve it? 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
If Croatia is able to fulfill the EU requirements too quickly it will force the Turkey issue.
Otherwise I imagine they would have come to some agreement by now. The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
I don't think Slovenia will unblock all of the chapters until the arbitration has run its course. And I don't blame them for it. The key is that both parties accept the outcome and we apply appropriate pressure on them to do so once the outcome is there.
The matter isn't very urgent. Croatia can also join in 2013 or 2014, in fact, I'd find that preferable because we can then make a package deal out of it with Serbia and Montenegro, and perhaps Macedonia once the Greeks stop acting like idiots.
The real thing that worries me is organised crime. I don't think we're spending enough attention on it. Organised crime is working fine for Croatia, keeping the violent crime rate in the country very low to focus on the profits to be made by trafficking. It will be very disruptive for the country to deal with it. And I don't see the EU pushing right now. So this situation can blow up in the media shortly before Croatia is due to accede.
Basically Croatia had been asking for arbitration all along and it was the replacement of Sanader with Kosor that somehow allowed Slovenia's Pahor to agree to arbitration too. There is speculation that Kosor being a woman played a role. There are also claims that Kosor agreed to concessions that Sanader would never have, and that the Croatian public or even the Parliament might have objected to them if they had been debated in public.
I am not convinced that a hypothetical Croatia Accession Treaty would be ratified by either Slovenia or Croatia. In Slovenia it could be blocked by either the Parliament or a referendum. In Croatia the Parliament would definitely pass it but a referendum might defeat it. 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
What pressure can the EU bring to bear on Slovenia, and more importantly will they?
Come to think of it, what pressure if any was already brought to bear to force them to agree to arbitration in the first place? 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
