STA, February 17, 2018 – The stance of the European Commission that Western Balkan countries must resolve all border issues before joining the EU gives enormous advantage to Croatia, which is "neither good nor right", said Defence Minister Andreja Katič, who is attending the Munich Security Conference.
Katič's statement comes after European Commission President Jean-Claude reiterated the Commission's stance expressed in the EU's strategy of enlargement towards the Western Balkans.
"Given the European Commission's position that enlargement will not proceed until borders are settled - and the unresolved borders are those with Croatia - Croatia has a great advantage. This is neither good nor right," Katič told the STA.
Slovenia supports Western Balkan countries' efforts to join the bloc, she added.
Juncker referred to Slovenia and Croatia as he reiterated the stance, noting that "instead of resolving the issue before Slovenia and Croatia joined the bloc, they handed the issue over to an international arbitration tribunal".
The tribunal made a decision but the two sides now cannot coordinate on what to do with the award, he added.
Katič stressed that Juncker failed to point to the real problem, which is that Croatia does not respect or recognise the arbitration award.
Turning to other topics discussed in Munich, Katič said that the EU's efforts to consolidate its defence within the Permanent Structured Cooperation on Security and Defence (PESCO) showed the bloc was aware it had to do more in terms of defence.
However, compared to NATO, the EU has broader responsibilities, in addition to defence it must also consider other aspects such as education, development and healthcare.
Today, Katič also met Estonian Defence Minister Jüri Luik to discuss Slovenia's bid to join the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, which operates in the country.
