Croatia allies with Serbia, takes swipe at Slovenia

Croatia has made great strides in burying the hatchet with a former foe.  The country is willing to support Serbia's bid for EU integration despite past tension between the countries.  According to this article, Croatia has decided to take a different approach than its neighbor, Slovenia, which has been blocking Croatia's membership in the EU due to disputes following the collapse of Yugoslavia.  "Croatia will not be to Serbia what Slovenia is to us," Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told reporters in Belgrade.  Sanader stressed that Croatia must remember the past but continue to live in the future.  While this may be seen as a direct shot at Slovenia in an attempt to change Croatia's fortunes, it is a progressive step in cooperation between nations that do not have the friendliest of histories.  Croatia has been a country in transition for the past several years, trying to establish strong democratic principles.  Hopefully, its intentions in supporting Serbia's quest to become an EU nation are more a sign of this progress than a shot at Slovenia.  Either way, the initiative to aid a country that is not really seen as an ally is better than blocking them in the way Slovenia has blocked Croatia.  Perhaps Slovenia will be influenced by this decision, allowing Croatia to pursue membership of its own while continuing to make progress in terms of political and social freedoms and protection.

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Matt Orminski (Croatia)

Croatia's Prime Minister To Meet With Obama

Croatia's Prime Minister, Ivo Sanadar, could very well be the first Croatian official to meet with the new United States' President Barack Obama. The meeting is scheduled for the end of March.

According to the article in the Croatian Times, United States President Barack Obama was surprised by Slovenia's attitude towards Croatia after discussions of blocking EU attainment. Not only that, but also the setback in entering NATO. The Slovenian Parliament approved the procedure on February 9th. The United States projects that it will obtain the appropriate documents this month.

Euro-Atlantic integration would be encouraged, as well as American-Croatia alliance, as a result of this meeting between Barack Obama and Ivo Sanadar.

Kelly Witmer
Croatia Group

Croatia: False stories about EU officials? Maybe not a good idea.

As Lindsay metioned, Croatia is currently a candidate for European Union membership and hopes to gain access by 2011. According to the report on Croatian press freedom by the International Freedom of Expression eXchange, the country has made human rights improvements because of this candidacy. Unfortunately, Croatian press still seems to suffer from corruption.

According to the Copenhagen Post, two Croatian newspapers have recently accused Bo Eric Weber, the Danish ambassador to Croatia, of attempting to block Croatia’s admittance to the EU. This story seems to have stemmed from a conflict over a Danish factory in Croatia that is considered to be dangerous to health and the environment. Weber, however, completely denies these claims and has asked for a correction to the article. In a Croatian Times article, Weber is quoted as saying, "Unfortunately, this is an example of very bad journalism based on non-ethical behaviour. If [the author] Mr. Grakalic had contacted the Danish embassy beforehand, the false story would never have been written."

This shows a definite weakness in Croatia’s standards of professional journalism. I can only imagine that false stories, particularly those involving EU officials, will hurt their admission.

-- Ellen Leto (Croatia)