ZAGREB (Croatia), March 11 (SeeNews) – Croatia and Slovenia on Monday signed a memorandum of agreement on Ljubljanska Banka (LB) that clears the way for Croatia's entry into the European Union, the government in Zagreb said.
The Slovenian parliament will immediately start the process of ratification of Croatia's EU accession treaty, the Croatian government said in a statement on its website after Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa and its Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanovic signed the document. Slovenia is expected to ratify the Croatian accession treaty by the end of March. Croatia is scheduled to join the bloc on July 1.
The dispute over Ljubljanska Banka stemmed from the break-up of Yugoslavia when a new bank, Nova Ljubljanska Banka, was formed and Croatian depositors did not receive compensation. The two countries have now agreed to take the case to Swiss-based Bank for International Settlements.
Under the memorandum, the Croatian government will ensure that the lawsuits filed by Croatian banks against Ljubljanska Banka are put on hold.