Brexit and the Balkan Tangerine Farmer

The U.K. points to Croatia's border with Bosnia as an example of the EU's past flexibility.

A police officer stands at the border crossing between Croatia and Bosnia, near the Croatian town of Metkovic

Photographer: Elvis Barukcic/AFP
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Zoran Jerkovic, a Croatian engineer with a sideline growing fruit, might seem an unlikely addition to the Brexit debate.

The 50-year-old lives in Metkovic, a town of 16,000 people that became part of the European Union when Croatia joined in 2013. While neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina remains out, the EU agreed to a system of permits allowing locals unhindered travel across the border. Jerkovic goes back and forth to tend his crop of tangerines.