Integration of the Southern Dalmatia. Case study of the Herzegovina-Neretva canton

Tomasz Wiskulski

The main aim of the author is to present the consequences of the accession of the Republic of Croatia on 1 July 2013 to the European Union taking into account the geographical location of the country. Croatia is a country that doesn’t have territorial integrity. This results from the fact that the southern part of the tourist region of Dalmatia is separated from the northern part through the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Herzegovina-Neretva canton. This is a consequence of historical events. During these events, in 1699, the Republic of Ragusa passed a narrow strip of coast under Turkish domination. It has been also within the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina after signed the Dayton Agreement in 1995. Despite the abolition of the visa requirement for citizens of the European Union in 2006, the problem of crossing the border returns every moment. Despite the expansion of border crossings, for the tourists quite perceptible may be the problem of more accurate checks at crossing with Bosnia and Herzegovina on the way to Dubrovnik. Prior to EU accession, crossing Croatian-Bosnian border, it was enough to show passport or ID card. After 1 July 2013 documents entitling travelers to cross the border must be scanned, which extends the process of border checks. However, the EU's position in this case is quite clear. First of all, there is need to work out an agreement between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina on a mutually satisfactory solution