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European Border Disputes: Not Just a Thing of the Past
When it comes to border disputes, the European Union focuses on being a devil's advocate but to what end?
In the past, disputed borders between countries resulted in hostility and ended in conflict. The location of a border is still extremely sensitive as it touches the very nature of a nation’s sovereignty, traditions and sense of community.
Despite the great success the creation and development of the EU has achieved in forming a European bloc of peaceful, co-operative nations, border disputes still exist within its boundaries.
What role does the EU play in the evolution, and ultimate resolution of these conflicts?
One of the most high-profile examples of a disputed border within the EU is that of the Bay of Piran between Slovenia and Croatia. The dissolution of the federal state of Yugoslavia in 1991 created many such issues for its component nation-states. Croatia felt that the border should simply divide the Bay in two. However, the Slovenes believed that this may threaten their access to international waters as Slovenia is a country with a limited coastline compared to Croatia. While this point of contention has existed for almost twenty years, the Slovene population recently passed a referendum which gives rise to a potential solution, accepting that international arbitrators will generate a resolution.
The EU has constantly supported attempts to find a peaceful and just outcome to the dilemma of the Bay of Piran. However, it is also – in some ways indirectly – an actor in the politics of the discord due in part to Slovenia's EU membership, which it has used to veto Croatian accession.
In 2009, Olli Rehn, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, in an address to the European Parliament stated, “Unfortunately, accession negotiations with Croatia are now stalled because of the border issue….although this is a bilateral agreement it has become a European problem.” This reveals the important role the EU plays as both an arbitrator and an actor in this and similar discussions. The allure of EU membership for Croatia, which has been in accession talks with the Union since October 2005, has acted as a catalyst for a commitment to a conclusion that will be to the satisfaction of both parties.
The EU held a similar position in the border and sovereignty question in Cyprus. Cypriot accession to the EU in 2004 meant that the EU had within its borders a conflict that had been ongoing for approximately 40 years. While the whole of the island, and its entire population, is part of the EU, the Cypriot government does not exert control over the Northern half of the island - the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The EU has consistently favoured efforts to find a solution to this complex conflict, including the creation of an aid package in 2006 aimed at providing 259 million euro for the Turkish community in the North to assist with reconciliation between the two communities, bringing the Turkish community closer to the EU and developing infrastructure, as well as the social and economic system of the northern half of the island.
Both the case of Piran and that of Cyprus are crucial matters to be resolved from the perspective of the EU because they have a direct impact on the Union’s relationship with its immediate neighbours, Croatia (and the Balkans in general) and Turkey. This is reflected in European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso's reaction to the recent Slovene referendum as he stated that, “Resolving this bilateral issue is an important signal for the region and the relations between Slovenia and Croatia.”
It is evident that the EU holds a prominent position in the resolution of border disputes involving its member states. This is particularly the case when one party involved is a non-EU state as it places an even greater emphasis on achieving a successful result.
The EU does not use its power to coerce or directly shape these discussions but offers itself as a third party in the endeavour to mediate a conclusion that both sides find palatable. It is very reluctant to interfere with what are essentially domestic or bilateral issues, but offers positive support in the form of funding and negotiation while itself remaining neutral.
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