Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt says the European Union is putting Croatia's EU entry talks on ice after the country failed to resolve a border spat with neighboring Slovenia. Setting out the main priorities for Sweden's upcoming six-month EU presidency, Bildt told a news conference in Brussels on Monday that the Croatia-Slovenia issue was a bilateral matter, and that no fresh attempts would be made to settle the border dispute. "I think now is the time for a period of reflection in both countries. This is a bilateral dispute," he said, adding it was primarily up to Slovenia and Croatia to resolve the row, which dates back to the 1991 break-up of Yugoslavia. Last week an EU mediation bid to resolve a land-and-sea border dispute between Croatia and EU member Slovenia collapsed.
Setting out the main priorities for Sweden's upcoming six-month EU presidency, Bildt told a news conference in Brussels on Monday that the Croatia-Slovenia issue was a bilateral matter, and that no fresh attempts would be made to settle the border dispute.
"I think now is the time for a period of reflection in both countries. This is a bilateral dispute," he said, adding it was primarily up to Slovenia and Croatia to resolve the row, which dates back to the 1991 break-up of Yugoslavia.
Last week an EU mediation bid to resolve a land-and-sea border dispute between Croatia and EU member Slovenia collapsed.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - With just over a week to go before Sweden takes over the helm of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, the country's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, has made it clear he does not intend to waste time attempting to unblock the many bilateral disputes that currently pepper the EU's diplomatic landscape. Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt (r) and Minister for European Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom (l) present their presidency programme "I would like to emphasise that responsibility for solving bilateral issues lies primarily with the countries concerned. You can't expect the world to solve your bilateral issues. You'll have to solve them yourselves," said Mr Bildt on Monday (22 June) speaking to reporters in Brussels while presenting plans for Sweden's presidency. In the Balkans, Croatian accession talks are currently blocked by Slovenia due to a border dispute, with Sweden's foreign minister saying it is now time for "a period of reflection in both countries."
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - With just over a week to go before Sweden takes over the helm of the EU's six-month rotating presidency, the country's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, has made it clear he does not intend to waste time attempting to unblock the many bilateral disputes that currently pepper the EU's diplomatic landscape.
Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt (r) and Minister for European Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom (l) present their presidency programme
"I would like to emphasise that responsibility for solving bilateral issues lies primarily with the countries concerned. You can't expect the world to solve your bilateral issues. You'll have to solve them yourselves," said Mr Bildt on Monday (22 June) speaking to reporters in Brussels while presenting plans for Sweden's presidency.
In the Balkans, Croatian accession talks are currently blocked by Slovenia due to a border dispute, with Sweden's foreign minister saying it is now time for "a period of reflection in both countries."
Aurelio Juri, who replaced Prime Minister Borut Pahor as MEP last autumn, is leaving the coalition Social Democratic Party (SD). The reason for his decision is Slovenia's blockade of Croatia's EU accession talks, Juri told STA on Wednesday.
