English
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković pointed out that two countries (Greece and Bulgaria) have deprived Macedonia of 21 years of institutional progress toward the European Union. Plenkovic cited the Macedonian example while discussing Croatia’s stance on Montenegro’s European integration.
Ahead of the European Council meeting in Brussels, Plenković emphasized that Croatia maintains a constructive approach toward Montenegro—in contrast to the treatment that, according to him, Macedonia has faced. “Take the example of Macedonia, which, at the time of the 2000 Zagreb Summit, was ahead of Croatia in institutional terms. Yet, they have still not opened negotiations. There are two countries that—to put it this way—have deprived it of 21 years of progress toward the EU between 2005 and 2026,” Plenković noted.
Croatia raised half a dozen issues with Montenegro, including its failure to prosecute war criminals and to clarify the fate of kidnapped Croatian civilians during the war in the 1990ies. This threatens to delay the planned accession of Monetnegro to the EU in 2028.