In an interview with the latest issue of the Slovenian weekly Reporter, Josipovic was asked if he anticipated any difficulties with the ratification in the Slovenian parliament given that Prime Minister Janez Jansa in the past objected to arbitration as a solution to the Croatian-Slovenian border dispute.
"When I was an MP, I voted against the arbitration agreement, not because I was in principle against arbitration, but because I had objections to the content of the agreement," Josipovic said, adding that that was the past and that both countries now had to honour the existing arbitration agreement.
"The selection of the arbiters and the dynamic of the entire procedure say that it was a good decision, and Slovenia and Croatia will have to accept the arbitration result regardless of what it is. I have no doubts at all that Slovenia will ratify our Accession Treaty with the European Union."
Asked if the model of solving the border issue with Slovenia could also be applied in the border disputes with Bosnia and Serbia, Josipovic said he had stated this idea in an interview but that it was not an official proposal.
"I think nobody objects to that. In both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia they realise that the border issues need to be solved. If it can't be done through negotiations, arbitration is the best solution," he said.
"But we still have the chance to determine the border through agreements, which takes time. We have a new government, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a new Council of Ministers, and Serbia will soon have a new government. Let's try to find a solution through negotiations."
Josipovic was also asked about austerity measures, a topical issue in both Croatia and Slovenia, saying the Croatian government planned to downsize the state administration.
Asked why there were no big strikes in Croatia, he said many people in Croatia lived on the verge of poverty but that attempts were being made to protect the welfare state, which was why the government agreed to changes in the public sector.
"For me, the economy isn't just math. The easiest thing to do is calculate something, but behind those numbers are people, and a state which is not a welfare state is pointless."
Josipovic said the public sector reform must not mean only cost cuts but also better services. "The people who won't be able to remain in the public sector, and I hope they will be as few as possible, should be offered the possibility of retraining and a new job," he was quoted as saying.