The dispute with Slovenia about arbitration. Slovenia insists that the arbitral tribunal decision has to be implemented. Cerar said it has the support of the European Commission. What is the solution from this blind street?
"It was to be expected that all participants in the proceedings after the court verdict would remain in their positions, namely the European Commission, Croatia and Slovenia. It is important that things do not escalate and do not affect the quality of relations. I hope that Zageb will take into account one important fact - if the verdict does not have any legal consequences for us, this does not mean that there is no political consequences, so the pressure on Zagreb will raise, not only from Ljubljana."
How do you see the position of the Commission who took the side of Slovenia?
"There is no surprise there because the entire work of the arbitral tribunal is initiated by the political mediation of the Commission and it can not give up on the work of the court nor from its rulings. But it seems to me that Commission's pressure towards Zagreb will not be so strong, as Ljubljana wants. There should be ways to deal with Ljubljana in the other direction - dialogue should not be interrupted. Let us not forget that Croatia is the only EU Member fenced with a barbed wire from its European neighbor. It is necessary to leave the channels of conversation open".
For the full interview with Picula, please see the link.
