Crossing Over A Perspective on Croatian Open Border Issues SENADA ŠELO ŠABIĆ SONJA BORIĆ Croatia has open border issues with four neighbouring states: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. Each case is at a different stage of the negotiation process. As a result of the Yugoslav dissolution and the wars in the 1990s, different bilateral issues emerged, border delimitation being only one of them. Border delimitation is agreed to follow boundaries between republics existent in the former Yugoslavia, while maritime borders needed to be determined since there were no formal boundaries between the republics at sea. None of these border issues, however, gravely burden relations between neighbours and all sides express will to resolve them on the basis of international law while respecting the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes. Border issues are always politically sensitive, even more so for countries with painful and complex histories. Political will to generate a compromise is not easy to build and sustain. It takes a lot of conscious effort, sincere commitment and abundant patience to build mutual trust. Zagreb, November 2016