Eurasia Press & News
ZAGREB, Croatia — Prime Minister Ivo Sanader urged the EU on Saturday (March 14th) not to succumb to what he described as Slovenia’s “blackmail”, which has blocked Zagreb’s accession to the EU over the border dispute between the two countries.
“If the EU allows one of its members to be involved in blackmailing, which is the case with Slovenia, then the integration of Europe has no future,” Sanader said, reiterating that the border dispute “has nothing to do with Croatia’s EU accession”. Zagreb hopes to wrap up membership talks by the end of this year, clearing the way for membership in 2010 or 2011.
In other news Friday, President Stipe Mesic’s office announced that he is cancelling state visits to Australia, New Zealand and Brazil this spring, in light of belt-tightening prompted by the economic recession. The government expects economic activity to contract by 2% this year.
