Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar will seek broader support in parliament behind closed doors on Friday for the legal actions he announced against Croatia due to its refusal to comply with the arbitration ruling on the border, but there are also opinions that he actually wants to increase pressure on the Croatian government to agree to implement the arbitration solution.
Lawyer Dominika Švarc Pipan stated for Ljubljana’s “Delo” on Monday that she understands Cerar’s announcement that he will sue Croatia in the EU court in Luxembourg because he had to respond to Croatia’s refusal to implement, but she does not completely rule out the possibility that an agreement with the Croatian side could still be reached.
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– I believe that not all possibilities for the application of the arbitration decision have been exhausted. Dialogue seems impossible at this moment, but filing a lawsuit could mean strong pressure on Croatia. Therefore, one should not exclude the possibility that Croatia agrees to voluntary and amicable implementation, said the Slovenian lawyer, an expert in international law.
As she added, in the event that a lawsuit against Croatia occurs, it should be very well justified to the European Commission because it would be “best if it took over the lawsuit itself,” but that is entirely the “discretionary right” of the Commission, she warned.
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– If Croatia continues to refuse to apply the arbitration ruling, Slovenia has other “legally permissible” forms of pressure available alongside the lawsuit, such as “economic and diplomatic sanctions, as well as various blockades,” added Švarc Pipan.
Cerar will present to the parliamentary committee for foreign affairs on Friday the actions his government has taken so far regarding the announced lawsuit against Croatia for non-implementation of the arbitration ruling, in search of “broader political consensus,” which he is “forced” into due to Croatia’s actions, reports “Delo.”
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Since three documents marked internal will be discussed, the session will be closed to the public. Announcing the session where he seeks support from the opposition, Cerar said last Thursday for Slovenian television that he would argue the lawsuit based on the need to respect the rule of law in the European Union, and that Croatia does not adhere to that principle by refusing to implement the arbitration.
– Slovenia advocates for the rule of law and we will insist on this until the end, Cerar said for Slovenian television, adding that the EU would “slowly begin to disintegrate” if this principle were abandoned.
– Without the rule of law, anyone could do as they please, and that would be a bad signal for the Western Balkans region, Cerar said, adding that his government “will not agree to that,” but will also file a lawsuit against Croatia if it does not agree to implementation.
