While Croatian President Zoran Milanović at the end of March supported North Macedonia on its European path—adopting a position detrimental to Bulgaria and contrary to the EU negotiating framework—it has emerged that Croatia is simultaneously slowing Montenegro’s progress toward the European Union. This is reported in an article by the Montenegrin newspaper Pobjeda.
It turns out that Croatia has reservations regarding the closure of the chapter on the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Croatian analyst Davor Gjenero stated in an interview with Pobjeda that it is unlikely Croatia will withdraw its reservations in the near future.
“It is good that Vice President Ivanović clearly states that this is not about Croatia ‘blocking’ Montenegro’s accession negotiations, and it is also positive that he advocates for discreet diplomatic negotiations,” Gjenero commented.
According to him, it is important to understand that no country feels comfortable being the only EU member with reservations about closing a negotiating chapter. Therefore, it is also in the interest of Croatian diplomats to resolve the issue as soon as possible—but, of course, under acceptable conditions.
The Blockage Is Not New
Montenegro closed three negotiating chapters in December 2024 after seven years. It had expected to close four, but Croatia did not give its consent to close Chapter 31. At the time, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman stated that Croatia was not blocking Montenegro over a bilateral issue.
Disputes Between Croatia and Montenegro
Croatia and Montenegro have ongoing disputes related to missing persons from the Croatian War of Independence, compensation for prisoners held in concentration camps, and the status of the training ship Jadran, which remained after the breakup of Yugoslavia. Croatia is also calling for a more positive approach toward the Croatian national minority, including the restitution of property.
Among the outstanding issues is the maritime border dispute near the Prevlaka Peninsula. Zagreb expects war crimes to be prosecuted, the issue of missing persons to be resolved, and guarantees to preserve the memorial plaque at the former military camp in Morinj.
Another point of contention is the new name of the swimming pool in Kotor, now named after Zoran Gopčević, a former guard at the aforementioned camp. All these matters were listed by Croatia as open issues in an informal document submitted to Montenegro in December 2024. Докато защитава Северна Македония: Хърватия бави Черна гора за ЕС
