Croatia, which will officially join the EU on July 1, aims to be part of Schengen by 2015, reports Der Standard. However, the Austrian daily explains, inclusion in the free movement area, which will effectively make the country responsible for some of the EU’s external borders, still represents —

an equipment and manpower challenge for Croatia. According to the newspaper Novi List, an additional 750 police will have to be recruited. And the country will need more thermal cameras, helicopters, and specific vehicles for use on land and sea to protect Europe’s borders.

Although checkpoints on Croatia’s borders with, Italy, Slovenia and Hungary will remain in operation after the state joins the EU, Zagreb is eager to begin preparations to fulfill the criteria for Schengen membership, adds Der Standard. Croatia has also begun talks on conditions for common procedures with Slovenia and Hungary to facilitate tourist access to its territory.

Checks on EU citizens on the state’s borders with EU countries, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and in its ports and airports should be facilitated, explains Der Standard, which points out that two checkpoints on the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina were opened at the end of April — a measure that was one of the conditions for Croatia’s accession to the EU.

“The EU has always had problems defining its outermost boundaries. Now, the problem is being resolved by candidate states themselves: most of them are abandoning their integration dreams,” writes Rzeczpospolita columnist Jędrzej Bielecki. The daily notes that in addition to the growing Euroscepticism in the richer countries, such as Iceland, which does not want to continue accession negotiations, enthusiasm for integration is now also faltering among poorer candidates, such as the Ukraine, which – despite all the encouragement from Poland, cannot make up its mind whether it wants to get closer to the EU or not.

Also, public opinion in Turkey is turning against the country’s EU membership, while Croatia is likely to be the last newcomer from the Balkans in the years to come, as other candidates from the region appear to feel EU membership does not justify the pain that accession reforms would inflict.

According to the Warsaw daily –

This is the outcome of five years of crisis during which EU leaders haven’t been able to take the bold decisions needed to restore the euro’s stability. At the same time, the weakness of France, Italy, and Spain has led to the political dominance of Germany in the united Europe and a revival of historic resentments. The Eurozone crisis has not only occurred due to swindling by the Greek authorities or imprudent investments by Spanish banks, but also due to errors in the structure of the monetary union created by the Germans and the French. But today only the weakest countries of Europe are supposed to pay for the failure of euro. And this gives candidate states something to think about too.

In an interview broadcast by national television in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić apologised for the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

“It was a horrible crime perpetrated by members of my people. And I want them all to be punished," declared the head of state, who sparked controversy in 2012, when he claimed that there had been no genocide in Srebrenica.

Approximately 8,000 men in the Muslim enclave, which had been placed under UN protection, were killed by Bosnian-Serb forces — a massacre that has been recognised as genocide by the United Nations.

“Berlin and Paris put the brakes on Serbian accession to the EU,” headlines Die Presse, in the wake of a European Commission decision to recommend the opening of accession negotiations with Belgrade and association negotiations with Pristina — a decision that closely followed the signing of an agreement on the normalisation of relations between between Serbia and its former province.

The next step will be to set a date for the start of negotiations, which will likely take some time. Between now and then, “everything that has been agreed must be implemented,” pointed out Germany’s Guido Westerwelle at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg on April 22. On that occasion, notes Die Presse —

… it was obvious that EU heavyweights like Germany and France will not bow to pressure for the rapid launch of negotiations with Serbia.

Although it does not guarantee that “Serbia’s accession is only a matter of time” — which, according to Die Presse, is the view in Brussels — the agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, signed under the auspices of the Union, nonetheless offers what the EUobserver believes to be tangible proof of the utility of the European External Action Service (EEAS). It has also given —

Catherine Ashton the kind of diplomatic victory she so badly needed to show the added value of the (EEAS) as a new EU foreign policy actor. […] The agreement between Belgrade and Pristina presents a clear-cut and resounding diplomatic success for the EEAS, which will enable it to dispel some of the criticism and questions about the value added by the new European diplomatic service. [...] It sends a strong signal to the countries in the region, but also the UN, US, Russia, China, and other global players that the EU is serious about stabilising its immediate neighbourhood, and a worthy laureate of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.

The accord which will effectively clear the way for Serbian accession to the Union, is both a de facto recognition of Kosovo by Belgrade and a major success for European diplomacy, which has been lacking in visibility.

“Habemus pactum,” announces the weekend edition of Danas with triumph. “All is well that ends well,” remarks the daily, which highlights the historical importance of the Brussels agreement, which has come as the result of months of negotiations —

While nationalist press titles, such as Nase Novine, speak of Serbian “capitulation”, Politika argues that in signing the agreement with Pristina, “Belgrade has chosen future.” For the Belgrade daily —

For Blic, Prime Minister Ivica Dačić and deputy PM Aleksandar Vučić have opted to follow “the only” possible path, which is the one that will lead “Serbia onto the road to the EU.” Credit is also due to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, who “finally broke the long series of failures to reach agreement with the Serbian government which had sidelined the EU accession process.” As for Dačić and Vučić, the newspaper points out that —

The accord signed in Brussels also amounts to a major success for the European Union, and in particular for Catherine Asthon, notes Jutarnji List in Zagreb. The newspaper continues —

In Kosovo, Gazeta Shqip hails "a historic agreement," which —

Although Express acknowledges that the agreement “has created the opportunity for the legal and political integration of northern Kosovo without legally or politically undermining Pristina,” it nonetheless argues that —

On the same wavelength, Koha Ditore argues that the Brussels agreement will have no impact on the current deadlock in Kosovo —

Negotiations between the Serbian and Kosovar heads of government, Ivica Dačić and Hashim Thaçi, concluded in Brussels on April 17 without agreement on the status of the Serbian minority in Kosovo.

Blic reports that the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, who is supervising discussions, has nonetheless “accepted a proposal to the effect that Kosovo Serbs will have command of local and regional police and that the district court will be located in Mitrovica,” in the area of northern Kosovo that is home to a Serbian majority.

Ashton is still hopeful that an agreement can be reached before the council of foreign ministers on April 22, in the course of which she is expected to announce a decision on the opening of negotiations for Serbian accession to the EU.

The vote to elect the MEPs who will be Croatia’s first ever representatives in the European Parliament, following the country’s accession to the EU on July 1, has been won by a coalition led by the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which scored 32.87 per cent to obtain six of the 12 available seats. A rival coalition led by Prime Minister Zoran Milanović’s Social Democratic Party (SDP) won five seats with 32.07 per cent of the vote, while the Labour Party won one seat with 5.76 per cent.

In the right-wing coalition, anti-Europe candidate Ruža Tomašić, the leader of the Croatian Party of Rights Dr. Ante Starčević, led the field with close to 26 per cent of preferences.

The newspaper attributes “Milanović’s worst result since general elections in 2007” to “the disaffection of centrist voters”, who are unhappy with the performance of the current government. It further argues that the low turnout for the vote (20.84 per cent), can be explained by “candidates that were unknown and campaigns that were unconvincing,” which focused on side issues like MPs' salaries and their knowledge of English.

Croats are heading to the polls on April 14, for the first time in the history of their country, to elect 12 deputies to the European Parliament to represent them until the European elections in May 2014. Two-and-a-half months after their country joined the EU, this vote has symbolic value, notes Tportal: “It’s a welcome to the club that Croatia has aspired to join for a long time.”

Voters will choose among 336 candidates from 28 lists or coalitions, some drawn up for the occasion, and some sporting names as quirky as "Voice of Reason", "ABC of Democracy", "Croatia Only", "Pirate Party", and "Party of Families", notes Novi List, adding –

Many of the candidates are known only to their families or neighbours. Some are Eurosceptic and openly advocate for Croatia to exit the EU.

This surge in numbers of candidates has been encouraged by the tantalising salary for MEPs (€7,000 per month), writes the Rijeka-based newspaper,

which has caused some proven Eurosceptics to forget their previous beliefs.

The campaign “has been too short (three weeks), uninteresting and lacked a real clash of ideas,” mourns Jutarnji List.

The candidates have missed their chance to say what they think of the crisis currently shaking the EU, its future and the consequences for Croatia of joining.

Tportal complains that

most of the candidates have been chosen for their loyalty to their parties, and have neither the skills nor the experience (or willingness) to get to grips with negotiations on highly specific topics such as estimates, not to mention the behind-the-scenes battles with the powerful political and financial lobbies.

Regarding the outcome of the vote, the latest polls predict 60 per cent of voters will show up – almost double the European election average. The favourite so far is the coalition around the Social Democratic Party, which is in power in Zagreb.

Serbia refused to accept the outline agreement on relations with Kosovo on April 8 – the day before a deadline set by the EU – arguing that it did not provide sufficient safeguards for the rights of the Serbian minority in the former province.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton called for “one last effort” from the Belgrade, while Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić declared that he was ready to continue with talks, as did his Kosovar counterpart, Hashim Thaçi.

In the wake of presidential elections on April 7, both candidates are claiming victory. Outgoing president Filip Vujanović of the Democratic Party of Socialists insists he scored 51.3 per cent of the vote, and that his opponent, opposition challenger Miodrag Lekić, obtained 48.7 per cent.

Lekić of the centre-right Democratic Front has declared that he polled 50.3 per cent and accused Vujanović of perpetrating a coup d'Etat. The Democratic Front is claiming that 4 per cent of votes are "invalid", which, as the daily points out, "is precisely the difference between the two candidates."

The state electoral commission has announced that it will decide on the issue within 24 hours. Tipped as the favourite to win the election, Filip Vujanović owes his popularity to his alliance with political strongman Milo Đukanović, who has served either as president or prime minister of Montenegro for more than two decades.

On April 2, the Slovenian parliament unanimously endorsed the treaty for Croatia’s accession to the EU.

The vote had been made possible by the March 9 agreement to put an end to a banking dispute that had troubled relations between the two former Yugoslavian countries for 19 years. In 2010, Ljubljana and Zagreb also overcame a border dispute.

Four countries, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands, still have to ratify Croatia’s accession, which is scheduled for July 1.

“Finally! Congratulations to the Croats, you are ready for the EU,” announces the daily. On March 26, the Commissioner for Enlargement, Štefan Füle, declared that Zagreb has fulfilled all of the conditions for its accession to the EU on July 1.

The newspaper focuses on the European funds in the 2013 EU budget that will be made accessible to Croatia, which will likely be used for the economic development of several cities, including some that were damaged by the war.

In contrast to Bulgaria and Romania, the two most recent countries to join the European Union, Croatia will not be subject to supervision of its institutions.

On March 20, President Nicolae Timofti announced that the signature of an association agreement with the EU – considered to be a first step towards accession – has been postponed.

The signature was due to take place at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius in the autumn, however disruption resulting from the collapse of Vlad Filat’s pro-European government on March 5 will mean that it will not go ahead before 2014.

Timofti's official explanation for the postponement was “a lack of time to translate the document into the EU’s 23 official languages,” which leads the newspaper to wonder is this “EU, see you soon, or goodbye?"

The Kosovar government has rejected and described as “unofficial” the planned agreement negotiated with the European Union to resolve the ongoing dispute with Belgrade over the status of Serbs in Northern Kosovo, which was published on March 14 by the Serbian daily Blic.

The Serbian Prime Minister, Ivica Dačić, has also denied the existence of an agreement, while representatives of the European Commission in Pristina, questioned by weekly Koha Ditore, refused to comment on the news.

Citing EU sources, the daily reports that Serbia and Kosovo have reached agreement on the powers to be given to a group of Serbian-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo.

Serbia’s relations with Kosovo are the main obstacle to the start of formal negotiations on the country’s accession to the EU.

The agreement reached on March 13 under the auspices of the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton — who was in Belgrade before travelling to Pristina on March 14 — is not yet official, notes the newspaper, because both Belgrade and Pristina have asked the Union for more time to prepare public opinion in their respective countries to accept concessions.

On March 11, the prime ministers of Croatia and Slovenia, Zoran Milanović and Janez Janša, signed an agreement to resolve the banking dispute between the two countries, which threatened to obstruct Croatia’s entry into the EU on July 1.

The agreement officially endorses the March 7 deal for talks supervised by the Bank for International Settlements to resolve the dispute, which dates back to the breakup of the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

Slovenia has pledged to rapidly ratify Croatia’s accession treaty, while Croatia has agreed to allow Slovenian banks, which were outlawed in the wake of the dispute, to operate on its territory.

Croatia and Slovenia concluded an agreement on March 7 to settle a banking dispute that has divided the two countries for 20 years, clearing the way for Croatia’s accession to the EU on July 1, 2013.

According to the memorandum, which will now be signed by the heads of government from both countries on March 11 in Ljubljana, negotiations on the long standing financial wrangle will continue under the auspices of the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland. For its part, Croatia has pledged to abandon on-running legal action against the Slovenian bank, Ljubljanska Banka.

Between now and the end of March, the Slovenian parliament is set to ratify the treaty on Croatian accession to the EU, which has already been approved by 21 of the EU’s 27 member states.

“Win-win” announces Ta Nea in Turkish in its report on the Greek prime minister's visit to Istanbul on March 4, describing the atmosphere between the two leaders as friendly.

Antonis Samaras and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, signed 25 agreements in the fields of trade, tourism and mutual aid in the event of natural disasters.

Turkey secured Athens' support for its bid to hold 2020 Olympic Games in Istanbul. However, there was no progress on the thorny issue of hydrocarbon exploration in the Aegean Sea.

"The first step towards a thaw after years of frozen talks,” remarks Le Monde in the wake of the February 12 meeting between French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, which concluded with Paris announcing that it was in favour of relaunching negotiations on Turkish accession to the European Union.

The initiative marks a clean break with the attitude adopted by Nicolas Sarkozy, who was opposed to Ankara’s entry and exercised his veto on five chapters [or policy conditions] of negotiations in 2007.

The daily explains that since the official opening of negotiations in 2005, 13 out of 35 chapters have been opened, and five remain blocked by Paris. The blocked chapters concern regional policy, economic and monetary union, the CAP, and institutional and financial matters.

To demonstrate its goodwill, the French government has accepted to open one of the five chapters blocked by the previous government, the chapter on regional policy.

Ireland, which currently occupies the EU’s rotating presidency “is hoping to open this chapter by the end of the quarter. It will be the first step forward since June 2010”, notes Le Monde. Furthermore, Dublin “has not ruled out talks on another chapter relating to the economic and monetary union”, even if Paris has argued that “it is not a priority in the current context of the reconstruction of the eurozone,” the daily explains.

“Accession talks have all but ground to a halt due to an intractable dispute over Cyprus,” adds Zaman in Istanbul, which notes that Turkey still refuses to recognise Nicosia’s claim to sovereignty, and supports the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. However, Ankara has not given up hope —

Despite the slow progress and waning domestic support, Turkey has continued to push for full membership of the union and has said it wants to join before 2023, the centenary of its founding as a republic.

An agreement has been reached to settle a banking row between Croatia and Slovenia that has simmered since the implosion of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The discord blocked the ratification in Ljubljana of Croatia's treaty of accession to the EU.

No details were revealed about the nature of the deal, which is scheduled to be signed on February 19 by the heads of states of both countries.

The foreign ministers of both countries decided at a meeting in Brussels to accelerate negotiations on settling differences arising from the bankruptcy of Slovenia’s Ljubljanska Banka, which was prompted by the implosion of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. More than 130,000 Croats had accounts with the bank when it ceased trading.

The affair, which has poisoned relations between the two countries, is the reason for Slovenia’s refusal to begin ratification of the treaty for Croatia’s accession to the EU, which is slated for July 1 of this year. If Ljubljana does not ratify the treaty by April 1, Croatia’s accession may be postponed.

In a poll published by the daily on January 29, only 41 per cent of Serbs say they would vote in favour of their country entering the EU — the lowest level of support for 10 years, down by 18 per cent on the June 2012 result for the same poll.

In its analysis of the change, Danas singles out a number of factors: the “the economic crisis and the poverty” that have affected Serbia, “the conditions imposed by the EU as part of the accession process”, particularly with regard to Kosovo, “an ignorance of the functioning of the EU”, and “the contradictory messages delivered to citizens by the current and previous governments” in Belgrade.

Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić has met with his Kosovar counterpart Hashim Thaci in Brussels, under the auspices of the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton. On Thursday night and in the early hours of Friday morning, the two men concluded an agreement on customs taxes to be charged at the border between their two states. The revenue generated will be used to create a special fund managed by the EU that will finance development in northern Kosovo, which is home to the country’s Serbian minority.

Accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity but considered heroes in their own countries, the two Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač were acquitted on 16 November by the appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Initially sentenced to 24 years and 18 years in prison for their actions in August 1995 during the expulsion of the Serbian population of the Krajina region of Croatia, then a self-proclaimed Serb republic, this time around the judges ruled they had not deliberately targeted civilians and that they had not implemented a deliberate plan of ethnic cleansing.

This highly anticipated verdict in Croatia leaves “no room for euphoria”, however, writes Novi List. The Rijeka daily recalls that the arrest and extradition to The Hague of Gotovina, who had been in hiding, was the condition imposed by the EU for accession negotiations with Croatia. No discussion could take place before his arrest in December 2005. Today, explains Novi List –

"They defended Croatia with honour," headlines Jutarnji list, noting that:

In wrapping up this business, and in a manner that is beneficial to Croatia, the verdict delivered by the ICTY, “although it will probably not promote investment in Croatia, could contribute to a more optimistic business climate”, argues the front-page report in Poslovni Dnevnik. The business daily points out that –

In Belgrade, Politika remarks that “the acquittal of generals Gotovina and Markač by the ICTY will have less impact on relations between Serbia and Croatia than on relations in the region, and Serbian attitudes to European integration”.� For the daily –

For the popular daily Blic, “the shame of the The Hague will widen the rift between Europe” and the Serbs, because as the political scientist Predrag Simić, who is quoted by Politika, points out the acquittal of the generals will enable a Croatia that is “absolved of all of its sins” to enter into the EU. However, on the other hand –

Turkey was singled out as needing improvement in the areas of individual and press freedom during the presentation of the European Commission's Final 2012 Report on Enlargement, detailing the progress made by those hoping to join the European Union. The Commission "urged Turkey to adopt a new constitution as soon as possible to solve the country's problems "and to renew discussions on entry, says English-language Turkish daily Today's Zaman.

The harsh tone of the report has surprised Ankara. The Turkish Minister of European Affairs, Egemen Bağış, called it "a huge disappointment," says the English language version of Turkish daily Hürriyet. Bağış accused the revolving presidency of the EU, currently held by Cyprus, of having influenced the tone of the report. The problem concerning the partition of the island – Turkey has occupied northern Cyprus since 1974 – is the major stumbling block in talks with the EU.

Serbia also was preached to in the enlargement report. In fact, it "came off as the big loser" in the Commission's view, according to Brussels-based web site EUobserver. Although Serbia does have the status of candidate, for the Commission, it still does not fulfil the conditions need to open entry negotiations with the EU. The Commission is asking Belgrade to show "visible and sustainable improvement" in its relations with Kosovo.

"The European Commission has said Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia should take steps forward in their bids to join the EU," notes the EUobserver. It adds that Albania will not become a candidate unless it reforms its judicial system, intensifies the fight against organised crime and revises its parliamentary rules. Macedonia, for its part, must resolve its problems with Greece which objects to Skopje's use of the name of a province which has been linked to it throughout history. Kosovo seems the farthest along and the Commission calls for the conclusion of a "Stabilisation and Association Agreement" with Kosovo even if some states do not recognise the independence of the Albanian-speaking former Serbian province.

“Slovenians aim to block Croats”, headlines SME. With Zagreb set to join the EU in July 2013, Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec has threatened that Ljubljana will not ratify its neighbour’s accession treaty.

Ljubljana has put the brakes on the integration of its southern neighbour over the issue of 172 million euros owed to Croatian citizens by Ljubljanska Banka, Slovenia’s largest bank in which the state holds a majority stake.

The Bratislava daily explains –

Ljubljanska Banka, which was one of the largest banks in the former Yugoslavia, ran into trouble in the 1990s when depositors rushed to withdraw their savings before they were made worthless by soaring inflation. However, Ljubljanska Banka refused to hand over the cash and closed its branches in Croatia and Bosnia. Shortly afterwards the bank filed for bankruptcy and the state took charge of its assets and liabilities.

In Croatia, 130,000 people lost their savings, and Ljubljanska Banka still owes them 172 million euros. If Croatia joins the EU, the Slovenian institution will be forced to pay its creditors at a time when Slovenian banks are in what SME remarks is a “very serious state”. In June the Slovenian government was forced to hand over 382 millions euros, twice the amount owed to Croatian creditors, to the bank in question. And in the run-up to the ratification of Croatia’s accession, the Slovenians want Croatia to stop encouraging lawsuits against Ljubljanska Banka.

This is the second time that Croatia’s accession to the EU  has been blocked by Slovenia, which, in October 2009, also threatened to veto any agreement signed with Zagreb over the issue of border disputes between the two countries.

The eurozone crisis might have made EU membership a less attractive proposition lately. Nevertheless talks with applicant countries are ongoing in Brussels. The EUobserver reports that EU states have agreed to invite Montenegro for negotiations on membership, with talks starting as soon as 29 June. EU foreign ministers said Brussels would closely monitor Montenegro's efforts to tackle corruption and organised crime during the accession process that may last several years.

Meanwhile, the Swiss daily Le Temps adds that a meeting of EU foreign ministers earlier in the week discussed Icelandic efforts to join the EU 27.

Difficult to believe, that the island is still looking to join the EU, in the midst of the euro crisis... Why is Reykjavik continuing to push for it? ... Essentially, to secure the island to mainland Europe after the speculative financial bubble burst in September 2008.

Elected with 49.5% of the vote, Nikolić’s win will put an end to decades of reformist rule. The onetime associate of ultra-nationalist Vojislav Seselj, who is currently before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, has nevertheless been careful to reassure voters about his commitment to Europe.

“Nikolić has won” reads the sober headline in Danas on the day after the vote. Still coming to terms with its surprise at the result, the Belgrade daily focuses on Nikolić’s first public statement:

Leading with another sober headline – ”Tomislav Nikolić is president” – Politika takes note of the high abstention rate (close to 50% of the electorate failed to vote) as well as the number of spoiled votes (3%). The Belgrade newspaper argues that:

Blić which ironically headlines “Graduate president” – a reference to the economics degree that the new president obtained from a private university in dubious circumstances – quotes an opinion expressed by the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia, Ivica Dacić. Tipped to become the next prime minister in the wake of the inconclusive general elections on 6 May, Dacić announced that –

For its part, news website e-novine argues that Nikolić’s victory is a healthy slap in the face for Serbian society, and insists that the absence of concrete results after four years of government was the main reason for Tadić’s defeat. For e-novine –

In neighbouring Croatia, the press does not mince its words. Jutarnji List headlines “Earthquake in Serbian politics, former radical elected President”. The Zagreb daily remarks –

With regard to regional policy, Jutarnji List argues that Nikolić’s arrival in office will not necessarily lead to a deterioration of relations with Croatia, because –

Twenty years ago today, on 6 April 1992, “paramilitary units of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) commenced the bombardment of Sarajevo, which had been surrounded, in response to the European Union and United States’ recognition of the independence of Bosnia-Herzegovina”, recalls Delo. The Slovenian daily points out that “preparations for the war had been ongoing for some time”, few people serious believed those who announced there would be conflict.

The beginning of the siege of the Bosnian capital was the “day when Europe died in Sarajevo”, affirms Delo, which marks the occasion with a piece by Bosnian author Dzevad Karahasan –

Bosnia-Herzegovina is still in the throes of serious crisis, because the Dayton Agreement [which put an end to the conflict in 1995] imposed state structure that was unviable, from both a legal and a logical point of view. And when the international and local bureaucrats suggest altering it in any way, they are immediately told that they cannot touch it, because any change would upset the delicate balance of peace. The only peace in Bosnia is the peace of graveyards. And even then, that is not always the case.

For its part, the Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz devotes several pages to commemoration ceremonies that “Two decades since the attack on Bosnia-Herzegovina”, and notably the “red line” formed on 6 April by 11,541 red chairs set in a row on the Avenue Tito in memory of the residents of the town who died in the war. The newspaper also points out that the day will also serve to celebrate “the 550th anniversary of the founding of Sarajevo and 67th anniversary of the city’s liberation from fascist forces”.

The perspective of inclusion in the European Union could herald a new departure for Bosnia, but, as Die Presse points out, the way forward is far from easy. In an editorial entitled “The European union and Bosnian schizophrenia”, the Viennese daily argues that the EU should go back to its roots and position itself as a project for peace. But for the moment, the EU is markedly indifferent to what is happening in Bosnia –

The EU has made it clear to Bosnian politicians that their country cannot adhere to the EU because of its complicated structures established by the international community in Dayton. However, there is no intra-Bosnian agreement on new structures.

In Madrid, El País insists that the post-war period will only come to an end on the day when Bosnia-Herzegovina enter the EU –

Bosnia-Herzegovina has no national day, because the politicians cannot agree on a date. [...] The country is still divided into two entities [...] Today its duplicate administrations and complete absence of shared national feeling define it as a country that may have healed its physical wounds, but not one that has achieved reconciliation.

On February 28,  the EU foreign ministers came out in favour of approving Serbia for candidate membership. The statement follows the regional cooperation agreement reached on 24 February in Brussels between Belgrade and the Kosovar capital of Pristina, in which the parties stipulate that in their relations the name "Kosovo" will be followed by an asterisk indicating that this is not a recognition of the independence of the province. Writing in the Pristina daily Koha Ditore, the analyst Veton Surroi believes that -

... the quality of Kosovo-Serbian relationships, even after a year of negotiations, has changed little. The two countries still do not recognise each other’s legitimacy, hence the need to continue the discussions to arrive at a stable relationship.

... For Pristina, the negotiations may eventually lead to its recognition by the five European countries that have not yet endorsed its independence (Cyprus, Spain, Romania, Slovakia and Greece) and the establishment of a new legal framework. The failure to define the legal status of Kosovo, however, requires a new resolution from the UN Security Council – with Serbia’s assent. The EU is still offering Kosovo the chance to join the EU and is promising it a feasibility study on its integration, though without actually opening up the Stabilisation and Association process. Serbia, however, was able to obtain EU candidate status, because it entered the negotiations with clear goals.

... Brussels entered the negotiations to unblock the status quo and do more to attract Serbia to the EU, thus demonstrating its own usefulness. Kosovo entered the negotiations without a clear definition of goals… Serbia, finally, has stayed focused on candidate status while continuing to challenge the independence, sovereignty and functionality of Kosovo – an objective it has clearly achieved. Kosovo, on the other hand, has lost its chance to normalise the situation. Each country will soon enter its election cycle – a phase of “normal” instability. Negotiations for Serbian membership in the EU will not commence unless the Serbian and Kosovar political situations are clarified and stable. And it is Brussels that will signal the time when they may sit once more around a table to unblock the status quo.

In Novi List, editorialist Neven Santic welcomes the historic “yes” given by his fellow citizens to joining the EU “despite the efforts of the opponents of European integration and the fears in the minds of many voters.” For Santic -

Senol Selimovic, a columnist for Sloboda Dalmacija, a daily from Split, reflects on the “historical record for low voter turnout in an EU membership referendum” that Croats set on January 22:

Augustin Palokaj of Jutarnji List focuses on the sigh of relief that Brussels must have uttered after Croatia’s “yes” vote: