Croatia, as the newest member of the European Union, has protested Montenegro's membership as the 28th member of the union by 2028. Andrej Plenković, the Prime Minister of Croatia, expressed his country's concerns regarding unresolved issues in negotiation chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and 31 (Foreign Policy, Security, and Defense) at a meeting ahead of the European People's Party summit.
Emphasis on resolving outstanding issues
Andrej Plenković said: "We have been very constructive, but some issues have been on the agenda for two years without any progress." He urged Montenegro to make progress in resolving these issues and stated: "We will ask our partners to assist them in this regard if the ultimate goal is to conclude the negotiations."
Concerns and requests from Croatia
The contents of Croatia's concerns are outlined in a guiding document, in which Croatia emphasizes support for Montenegro's membership aspirations while also identifying several unresolved disputes. The document states: "Croatia seeks to facilitate Montenegro's accession, not hinder it." Some of the remaining issues relate to Montenegro's involvement in military actions against Croatia in the 1990s, including attacks on Dubrovnik and the occupation of parts of Croatian territory.
Among Croatia's requests is compensation for Croatian citizens detained in the Morinj camp, where over 300 Croats were held between October 1991 and August 1992 following the occupation of part of the Dubrovnik region by Serbian and Montenegrin forces. Croatia also demands the permanent preservation and display of a memorial plaque at the former detention camp and requests the renaming of a swimming pool in Kotor after Zoran Gopčević, a former water polo player who served as a guard in Morinj in 1991 and 1992.
Other outstanding requests include the prosecution of war crimes committed during the Croatian War of Independence and further negotiations regarding the border delineation between the two countries. Despite these disputes, Croatia has so far agreed to Montenegro's progress in the accession negotiations, and Montenegro has temporarily closed 21 out of 33 negotiation chapters, being recognized as a frontrunner in the EU enlargement process.
