Slovenia cannot support Croatia’s membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as it does not meet the conditions for inclusion, Slovenian diplomatic sources announced on Wednesday, as reported by the Slovenian Press Agency STA, after Croatia refused to recognize the arbitration ruling on the Croatian-Slovenian border.
This position has already been unofficially presented by Slovenia to the OECD Secretary-General José Ángel Gurría during the Bled Strategic Forum that concluded on Tuesday.
Extensive Diplomatic Offensive
During this international conference, Slovenia, in an extensive diplomatic offensive, sought to convince guests from Europe and the world that Croatia’s rejection of the border arbitration represents a violation of the rule of law principles, and that the Croatian government shows disrespect for international law by rejecting the arbitration ruling.
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‘The news we received today from Brussels about Slovenia’s reconsideration of its positive stance towards our entry into the OECD is surprising; and thus Slovenia announces a blockade of the process due to a bilateral issue that the European Commission and EU member states actively support,’ they emphasize from Zrinjevac.
That it cannot support Croatia’s membership in the OECD, Slovenia also informed the ambassadors of EU member states on Wednesday, at a meeting in Brussels, where the European Commission informed member states about the current state regarding the future expansion of the OECD under miscellaneous.
The Secretary-General of the organization based in Paris, José Ángel Gurría, intends to present his proposal for future expansion on Friday.
According to the Slovenian Press Agency, Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia are reflecting on membership in the OECD from EU member states not yet included in the organization, but Gurría will propose only the admission of Romania for now, while Argentina, Brazil, and Peru have support for membership from countries outside Europe.
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Ljubljana’s official stance that it cannot support Croatia’s membership was confirmed for the first time on Wednesday in Brussels, although Slovenia unofficially announced this move to Gurría already on the edge of the Bled Strategic Forum.
Slovenia has also officially expressed its disagreement with Croatia’s accession to the OECD on Wednesday due to information that the European Union, which traditionally supports its member states wishing to join the OECD, will express dissatisfaction that Gurría will propose that only Romania be admitted to the OECD, Slovenian media report.
The OECD currently has 35 member states, the most economically developed countries in the world. At the beginning of the year, Croatia sent a letter of intent to the OECD to join the organization, wishing to start negotiations after a decision in a new round of its expansion.
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Slovenia became a member of the OECD in mid-2010, after negotiations that lasted two and a half years to meet the accession program requirements. Along with Slovenia, the OECD, where such decisions are made by consensus, also admitted Estonia, Israel, Chile, and Russia.
Croatia says that Slovenia’s blockade of access to the OECD is surprising and contrary to the stance of the EC and EU member states
The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs announced on Wednesday that Slovenia had so far supported Croatia’s ambition to join the OECD, but now due to a bilateral border issue announces a blockade of the process that the European Commission and EU member states actively support.
‘Slovenia has so far supported Croatia’s ambition to join the OECD and shared its own experiences from the accession process through a series of consultations,’ says the reaction from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
‘The news we received today from Brussels about Slovenia’s reconsideration of its positive stance towards our entry into the OECD is surprising; and thus Slovenia announces a blockade of the process due to a bilateral issue that the European Commission and EU member states actively support,’ they emphasize from Zrinjevac.
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The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Croatian government are closely monitoring the discussions taking place among the 35 OECD member states during September in Paris regarding the possible opening of this organization of developed countries to new members and the dynamics of sending membership invitations, the statement says.
‘The European Commission’s stance on further expansion of the OECD has remained unchanged since 2007 – it advocates the accession of all EU member states to the OECD,’ emphasizes the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
The accession process is lengthy and demanding, there are formal criteria that each candidate country must meet, which the Croatian government has been intensively working on for several years, but the decision to send an invitation is ultimately determined by the political will of the OECD member states.
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‘Hrvatska diplomacy will continue to advocate for our accession to the OECD through contacts with Brussels and all OECD member states, which will enable the transfer of the best global experiences and standards into our economic, developmental, educational, and numerous other public policies,’ concludes the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
