Analysts: Croatia using EU leverage to press Montenegro on bilateral disputes

Croatia's decision not to approve the closure of Chapter 14 – Transport Policy in Montenegro's EU accession negotiations can be interpreted as political pressure aimed at resolving outstanding bilateral issues, analysts in Podgorica and Zagreb have said.

Andrea Popović of the organization Master said Croatia's move cannot be viewed merely as a technical issue related to transport policy. Instead, she argued that Zagreb is using the mechanisms available to it as a European Union member state to accelerate the resolution of disputes concerning Prevlaka, the training ship Jadran, and war reparations, according to Montenegro's public broadcaster RTCG, CE Report quotes HINA.

She stressed that Podgorica's response should be to intensify dialogue with Zagreb rather than engage in political confrontation.

Nevenka Vuksanović of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) expressed a similar view, saying that outstanding issues should be resolved through dialogue. However, she declined to speculate on whether political motives lay behind Croatia's decision.

Croatian President Zoran Milanović recently said there are no serious obstacles in relations between Croatia and Montenegro and that the issue of the training ship Jadran is not of crucial importance.

He added, however, that the border demarcation issue should be resolved, while referring questions about a possible blockade of Montenegro's EU accession process to the Croatian government.

Milanović also said he enjoys good communication with Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, adding that the two countries are united by far more issues than those that divide them.

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