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Croatian Strategy of Multilateralism: Investment in Becoming a Regional Leader towards the EU

Should Croatia focus significant efforts of its foreign policy towards neighbouring countries and their accession process to the EU membership? Could the potential turn towards pro-active politics of helping Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro in the EU accession process actually become one of the key actions in establishing Croatia as an important new EU member that can act in the mutual and long-term interest of the Union? Possible strong co-operation of Croatia with other Western Balkan states in their accession process could be one of the most beneficial potential mid- term goals for Croatian foreign policy. Such theoretical focus-shift could become the impetus of establishing itself as a desired role of a regional leader on a long- term basis – especially considering the policies of the EU and the USA with their vision of the future of the South Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans in the forthcoming decade. Unilateral policies towards neighbouring candidate countries, as displayed by Slovenia towards Croatia during its accession process, should be absolutely ruled out for the sake of Croatia’s own interest. Deliberately avoiding any similarities with the negative image attained by Slovenia because of the way it has treated the Croatian accession process, Croatia should present itself as a problem-solver and not a problem-maker – which will be the best long-term strategy in positioning the country on the new global map that will be established once the current EU crisis ends and further enlargement becomes the focus of the EU once again.

Croatia ; EU ; foreign policy ; the Balkans ; multilateralism

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