Instead of predetermined points from the topics of justice, refugees, corruption and similar, the main discussion of the joint committee of the delegations from the European Parliament and the Croatian Parliament, was the Slovenian blockade of Croatia entering the European Union. After the ninth meeting of the joint committee in the last five years, the president of the delegation Pal Schmitt regretfully concluded that the Croatian negotiations are advancing, that the chief negotiator Vladimir Dorbnjak is on a good path to finish by the end of 2009, but that there is no way of removing the Slovenian blockade.

“The is a precedent that one country is blocking the expansion of the European Union. This is more surprising for us because during negotiations on their own entry into the European Union, Slovenia declared that they did not have any border issues. Because it has not changed since then, we were surprised with the current claims of Slovenia that there are border disputes” said Pal Schmitt.

Mario Zubovic, who is the president of the foreign politics board of the Croatian Parliament, all of the members of the joint committee agreed that a bilateral dispute between two countries cannot be an obstacle for Croatia’s entry into the European Union. However, has Schmitt said again, there is no cure for that. However, he considers that Croatia should continue its negotiations and give up on the very slow solution at the international court, however much it be a correct and just solution, and that Croatia should accept a panel of neutral experts.

“Their work will be faster than a court, but this commission must be accepted by both sides” he stressed. He continued to be surprised by Slovenia’s politics towards Croatia as far as NATO is concerned, and mentioned that no country has ever gone to referendum to stop the entry of a neighbouring country.