As Montenegro Eyes EU Accession, Croatia Wants ‘Issues’ Resolved

From missing people to boat ownership, borders to memorial plaques, neighbours Croatia and Montenegro have their differences, but the question of whether or not these might block the latter’s accession to the European Union is a moot one. Podgorica is the frontrunner to become the next member of the bloc, possibly by 2028, but fellow former Yugoslav republic Croatia fired a shot across its bows a month ago with a letter stating that Brussels “cannot and does not want to import bilateral disputes and therefore open issues must be resolved urgently, so that they do not burden bilateral relations or the accession process”. The EU works on the basis of unanimity between its 27 members, so like Bulgaria in the case of North Macedonia, Croatia effectively holds a veto over Montenegro’s accession. Subscribe to Balkan Insight Premium to read the full article. Please login to your account below if you are already a Premium Subscriber. Buy Premium Subscription Our Premium Service gives you full access to all content published on BalkanInsight.com, including analyses, investigations, comments, interviews and more. Choose your subscription today and get unparalleled in-depth coverage of the Southern and Eastern Europe. Buy Premium Subscription If you have trouble logging in or any other questions regarding you account, please contact us