The doors to the European Union have reopened for Croatia after its new Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor reached a historic deal with her Slovenian counterpart, Borut Pahor, over the two countries' border dispute, in Ljubljana on Sept. 11.
Croatia's process of accession with the EU ground to a halt last December, when Slovenia put a veto to the negotiations, citing its territorial dispute with Zagreb over the Piran Bay and several small strips of land along the border.
Before the Slovenian veto, Zagreb hoped to complete negotiations by the end of this year and join the EU in 2010 or 2011 at the latest. Now, after a 10-month suspension of the process, 2012 seems more realistic.