ZAGREB, April 16, 2018 – Croatia will reply to the European Commission on time and present arguments showing that Slovenia severely compromised the arbitration procedure, Croatia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić said on Monday in Luxembourg.
“We need to hand in our reply tomorrow to Slovenia’s complaint to the European Commission. Nothing has changed for us. We will reply in the sense that Slovenia’s motion (…) has no grounds nor should the procedure head in that direction. We have very clearly offered dialogue and a legal framework for talks. Slovenia decided to go that way and submitted a complaint to the Commission and tomorrow we will clearly say in our reply that the arbitration ruling following the arbitration procedure that was most severely compromised by the Slovenian judge and agent, could not provide a proper result that could oblige Croatia. In that regard, we concluded that there has not been any breach of European law nor has there been any change on the ground, the border is where it was in 1991 (…),”Pejčinović Burić told reporters.
The European Commission called on Croatia to submit a written opinion by April 17 on Slovenia’s letter asking the Commission for its opinion on whether Croatia was in breach of European and international law and announcing a suit at the European Court of Justice against Croatia unless the decision was implemented.
The EC has proposed May 2 for the oral hearing on Slovenia’s motion.
Asked who would present Croatia’s oral presentation on May 2, Pejčinović Burić said that that was usually done by legal experts.
