Croatia is still searching for 1,725 people who went missing during the Homeland War, while officials in Zagreb say cooperation with Serbia remains extremely limited.
Darko Nekić, state secretary at Croatia’s Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs, told members of parliament that Croatia has sent many official requests to Serbian institutions, but has received almost no useful answers. He said the issue remains one of the most painful unresolved questions from the war.
According to Croatian officials, field investigations have been carried out at hundreds of locations over the past decade. During that period, the remains of several hundred people have been found, exhumed or identified. However, many families are still waiting for information about the fate of their relatives.
Nekić said Croatia believes important archival material and information still exists in Serbia, including records connected to the movement of remains from primary graves to other locations. Croatian authorities say those documents could help identify burial sites and bring answers to families who have waited for decades.
The discussion took place during a parliamentary debate on changes to the law concerning persons missing in the Homeland War. The proposed changes are intended to make it easier to carry out inheritance procedures for people who are missing or were killed during the war, even when the exact place of burial is still unknown.
Members of parliament from several parties criticized Serbia’s lack of cooperation. Some MPs used strong language, accusing Serbia of avoiding responsibility and disrespecting Croatia. Others said Croatia should continue using Serbia’s European Union accession process as a way to insist on cooperation.
Chapter 23 of Serbia’s EU negotiations, which covers judiciary and fundamental rights, remains one of the mechanisms Croatia can refer to when raising unresolved war related issues. Croatian officials say the question of missing persons should remain part of Serbia’s obligations on its European path.
The issue remains highly sensitive for both countries. Croatia argues that Serbia must provide more information from wartime archives, while Serbian officials have often rejected Croatian criticism and accused Zagreb of using bilateral issues to slow Serbia’s EU progress.
For families of the missing, however, the political dispute is secondary. Their main demand is simple, to find out where their loved ones are buried and to finally receive answers after more than three decades.
Croatian officials say the search will continue until the last missing person is found.
