Croatia and the European Union have resumed accession talks in the Belgian capital Brussels.

The negotiations had been suspended for a long time because of a land and sea border dispute between Croatia and neighbouring Slovenia. Soon after joining the EU, Slovenia used its veto to block Croatia's membership. The countries recently reached a global agreement about their border dispute, prompting Slovenia to lift its veto. Croatia will have to meet a number of demands before it can actually join the bloc. The EU first wants the country to tackle corruption and give its full cooperation to the UN Yugoslavia tribunal in The Hague.

Photo: EU headquarters in Brussels (flickr.com/TPCOM)