Meandering Limits The Danube Border Dispute Between Croatia and Serbia and Ways to Its Resolution

• Published in: Politička misao Vol. 59; no. 2; pp. 112 - 140
• Main Author: Bickl, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article Paper
• Language: English
• Published: Zagreb Sveuciliste u Zagrebu, Fakultet Politckih Znanosti 05.09.2022; Fakultet političkih znanosti
• Subjects: Accession; Borders; Case studies; Conflict; Conflict resolution; Cooperation; Croatia; Danube; Dispute Resolution; EU Enlargement; EU membership; Field study; International courts; Interviews; Jurisprudence; Mediation; Serbia; Territorial issues; Third party; Tribunals & commissions; Waterways; Yugoslavia; Romania; Hungary; Serbia; Danube River; Croatia
• ISSN: 0032-3241; 1846-8721
• DOI: 10.20901/pm.59.2.05

This single-case study seeks to provide an in-depth analysis of the territorial‎ dispute between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbia over the ‎State border along the Danube. The research article will look into the historical ‎roots of the conflict and its current context of the EU accession process‎ of Serbia addressing (i) the dispute in substance, e.g. the positions of Serbia‎ and Croatia, (ii) available dispute settlement tools – bilateral (with or without ‎third-party mediation) or third-party judicial, and (iii) delimitation scenarios ‎of the Danube border both in the bilateral mode and in the light of the jurisprudence‎ of international courts and tribunals. The study demonstrates that it‎ does indeed take some political will to overcome the protracted conflict, and ‎addresses the related focal points. The article is based on interviews, internal ‎documents, decisions of international courts and tribunals, and secondary literature.‎