Slovenia, Croatia Sign Agreement to Avoid Incidents
The signing of several agreements, including an accord on avoiding double taxation, wrapped up the joint session of the Slovenian and Croatian governments on Friday. Additionally, the ministers agreed to hold regular sessions twice a year, with the next meeting to take place in Slovenia by the end of the year.
The declaration on avoiding incidents, signed by the foreign ministers, Dimitrij Rupel and Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, includes a commitment by the two cabinets to respect the state of affairs on 25 June 1991, when the two countries became independent, and to fully implement the agreement on border cooperation and transport.
Moreover, it includes a provision saying that it does not prejudge the course of the border and that in seeking to resolve this issue, the two countries will avoid acts that could prejudge the border.
"The document draws on the common European future and the agreement on border transport and cooperation," Grabar Kitarovic said, adding that the objective of the declaration is to boost the mutual trust of people living along the border and making life easier for them.
According to Rupel, the governments have made the commitment to avoid all acts that may constitute incidents, and to seek solutions in the European spirit. It is also about the consistent implementation of the border cooperation agreement, he added, confident that the statement will provide a fresh impetuous to cooperation.
Rupel moreover endorsed the proposal of his Croatian counterpart to organise a meeting of all affected groups living along the borders before the summer. Local communities, fishermen and local authorities would be briefed on the contents of the declaration.
Several other agreements were signed after the joint government session, most notably an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation, which had been in the making for seven years.
The accord is expected to simplify cross-border commerce and make life easier for about 20,000 Croatian pensioners receiving pensions from Slovenia, who had to pay income tax twice.
Moreover, the finance ministries signed an agreement on cooperation in customs procedures which defines types of bilateral assistance in customs. Additionally, the agreement on cooperation in commerce and the economy was amended to align it with EU requirements.
Interior Ministers Dragutin Mate and Marijan Mlinaric signed an agreement on the extradition of persons whose entry or residence is illegal, while Vasko Simoniti and Bozo Biskupic, the Slovenian and Croatian culture ministers, signed a programme of culture cooperation between the two ministries.
The prime ministers of Slovenia and Croatia, Janez Jansa and Ivo Sanader, on Friday also called for a continuation of EU enlargement despite the current crisis. "Slovenia sees the future of Croatia in the EU and will prove that on the practical level," Jansa said at the first ever meeting of the two governments.
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