An Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) MEP has proposed better road connections between Istria and Croatia, primarily involving the Slovenian motorway and the Istrian Y.
When it comes to good neighbourly relations between Croatia and its neighbour to the north, Slovenia, things have been bad at worst and petty at best over the last few years. The border dispute has led both countries to quite childish jibes and Slovenia will likely continue to try to block Croatia’s Schengen entry for as long as possible because of the country’s refusal to recognise and therefore implement the arbitration court’s decision on the border.
As Glas Istre/Dubravko Grakalic writes on the 15th of November, 2019, an IDS Member of the European Parliament, Walter Flego, emphasised in his brief debate in the European Parliament the need to create transport links between Croatia and Slovenia.
“I come from Istria and I recognise the importance of international and cross-border co-operation in an area. Clearly, I’m not just talking about projects and events, but also about infrastructure. We’ve got some excellent examples at the very top of the EU, such as the Interreg interregional cooperation program, which has funded more than sixty very valuable projects. When talking about Istria, we have a great example of connection and cooperation between two water supply lines – the Istrian water supply system from the Croatian part of Istria, and the Rižan water supply system from the Slovenian part of Istria,” Flego cited.
“We need a connection between the Istrian Yp to the Slovenian motorway network in order to reduce congestion during the tourist season. That’s why I ask that cohesion policy funds not be cut and that is why I’m asking for such an item to be placed in the 2021-2027 budget. This would enable our people in Istria to live and work more easily and simply. Our countries are not isolated islands, so let’s invest in the coming years in projects that connect us, so that residents and tourists can live and work freely throughout the year, but also enjoy their well-deserved holidays,” said IDS’s Walter Flego in Brussels, Belgium.
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