Slovenia to unblock Croatia's path to EU (Roundup)

Sep 11, 2009, 12:39 GMT

Ljubljana/Brussels - Slovenia will unblock Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union, the leaders of the two nations said Friday after agreeing to reset a long-standing border dispute.

'We will immediately propose to end restraints of Croatia's EU accession negotiating process,' Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor said after meeting his counterpart from Croatia, Jadranka Kosor.

'We opened a new chapter in relations and proved that friendly relations and respect can lead to resolution of problems,' Kosor said.

Pahor and Kosor did not elaborate on details of the agreement they made on the border in the northern Adriatic bay of Piran, the cause of the row between the two nations since their break from Yugoslavia in 1991.

The row reach a peak last year when Slovenia blocked Croatia's EU accession talks.

Slovenia is now set to lift a veto on Croatia's approach to the EU, while Croatia is to give up territorial claims it made in the dispute over Piran, effectively returning negotiations to square one.

Unconfirmed reports quoting sources from both countries said the bay would be jointly administered over 20 or 50 years, providing enough time for a settlement.

Slovenia, the northernmost and most developed of the former Yugoslav republics joined the EU in 2004, while Croatia hopes to become a member in 2011.

A spokesman for the European Commission said shortly after the announcement in Ljubljana that Brussels wanted to hear more details before taking a position.

'We're expecting first-hand information from the talks,' the spokesman said. 'The EU was not a part of the talks, only supported them. We must now see what the agreement looks like.'