Ministry: Croatia Confirmed Reciprocity for Real Estate
The Slovenian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it had received a diplomatic note from Croatia in which Slovenia's southern neighbour confirmed reciprocity for Slovenians in acquiring real estate in Croatia. The ministry expects Croatia to meet its obligation in practice as well.
Croatia notified Slovenia that it was ready to allow Slovenians acquire real estate in Croatia under the same conditions that Croatians have for acquiring real estate in Slovenia, the ministry said.
The note means Croatia met an obligation from its EU accession talks, the ministry said.
Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said on Saturday that the issue of real estate had been closed. Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said on Sunday that Sanader notified him of Croatia's intent to open its real estate market soon.
Jansa moreover said at the EU's March summit on 9 March that Croatia had to meet very strict demands from individual negotiating chapters, including the one on opening its real estate market. "This is the key challenge for Croatia on its accession path," he said then.
According to the Slovenian Justice Ministry, responsible for the issue, three decisions regarding reciprocity have been handed out to Croatian citizens, giving them the right to purchase real estate in Slovenia.
Croatian Justice Minister Ana Lovrin has meanwhile said that some 800 Slovenians asked for permission to acquire buildings in Croatia.
The Slovenian act on acquiring ownership of real estate defines reciprocity as giving a Slovenian citizen or company the right to acquire real estate in another country under the same conditions that are valid for a foreigner from that country in acquiring real estate in Slovenia.
"As I met Sanader last week I told him that reciprocity did not mean Slovenia allowing the purchase of the same quantity of real estate as Croatia but that it was about opening up the market," Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel meanwhile told the press.
Responding to a question regarding the possibility of bilateral talks on the border issue, Rupel said that Sanader and he also discussed at great length open issues between the two countries, including the border. He added he hoped this fact would have a positive impact on future events.
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