BRUSSELS – Brussels has requested an urgent explanation from the Croatian authorities following their decision to close the border crossings with Serbia to freight traffic, Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson of the EU foreign policy and security chief, said on Friday.
This was done in the context of an investigation by the European Commission’s legal service into Croatia’s potential violation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, Kocijancic told reporters at a press conference in Brussels.
In a letter to EU officials, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has warned that the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (between Serbia and the EU) has been violated, she added.
Our initial assessments indicate that there are serious problems regarding the compliance of the Croatian government’s decision with the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, she said.
Kocijancic said that EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini once again telephoned Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic early Friday to remind him that two days ago she publicly called on Serbia and Croatia to resolve the disagreements as soon as possible so that free flow of goods may resume.
The Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn will discuss this topic with Serbian officials in Belgrade on Friday, she said.