Vukovarska ada - (un)disputed part of the Serbian-Croatian border on the Danube

Abstract

The Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Croatia, once (with the prefix "Socialistic") members of the Yugoslav federation, and today neighboring, sovereign, internationally recognized states, have a common border of two hundred and fifty-two kilometers, of which one hundred and thirty-eight kilometers along the Danube. The line of the border on the Danube is the subject of different interpretations by the two sides, which in practice leads to numerous problems, primarily in terms of navigation safety, prevention of migration, poaching, flood defense and other security challenges. One of the points of contention is Vukovarska ada, a river island over which both sides emphasize their sovereignty. In 2011, the local governments of Bac and Vukovar, in order to relax the situation and improve good neighborly relations, signed the Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation, and it significantly affected the actual position of Vukovar Ada. In this text, the author analyzes the historical circumstances and the current status of Vukovar Ada in the context of the future overall resolution of the issue of demarcation of Serbia and Croatia on the Danube, as well as in the context of the Bac-Vukovar Agreement, ie the possibility of applying a similar model with appropriate modifications applied to some other disputed part of the common border on the Danube