After the bloody Balkan War, a territory of just seven square kilometers between Croatia and Serbia and with the Danube River as its only inhabitant, was declared land without an owner in order to avoid historical claims between the contenders. No one imagined at that time that, 20 years later, in that small space the seed of a microstate would be born that intends to become the libertarian land par excellence, Liberland.
In 2015, the flamboyant Czech politician and publicist Vit Jedlicka Googled which lands exist without an owner on the planet, and after ruling out an enclave in Egypt, he opted for this hole in the Balkans, which he went to in the company of his partner and from friends after years of disappointment with his country’s politics and a career on the Czech libertarian spectrum.
There he planted the flag that he had designed for this purpose and, with the votes of his companions, he was appointed president of the self-proclaimed Free Republic of Liberland, a territory designed to guarantee the freedom of the individual in all aspects of life as long as it is fulfilled. the motto ‘Live and let live’. “The only country explicitly dedicated to individual freedom, free markets and free trade,” according to his Facebook page.
With one , and a government team with five ministers and two vice presidents, Liberland promises voluntary taxes, a rickety Administration and a State that works through blockchain and private donations, without public financing as there are no taxes. He has created his own currency, a cryptocurrency called ‘merit’, but he accepts bitcoins and any other type of currency, as he has no Central Bank. In it, there will be freedom of movement and entry for foreigners who want to adopt the nationality.
Liberland’s main problem, obviously, is the lack of international recognition. Only Somaliland has recognized the territory and Croatia, one of the two countries with which this state project borders, has arrested Jedlicka on numerous occasions accusing him of illegally crossing the country’s borders. From Serbia, the other neighbor, Liberland ensures a “tacit consensus” that has resulted in the organization of cultural and political events within its borders without apparent obstacles.
The commitment of Jedlicka and his partners is unquestionable. Their individuals have established more than 100 consulates in 67 countries and organize their defense in compliance with the Montevideo Convention, which defines the conception of the State. Jedlicka maintains that Liberland is: according to him it has a defined territory, a government, the ability to establish relations with other states and a permanent population.
The latter is not entirely true: the Croatian police block access to this ownerless region, which can only be accessed by boat, without stepping on it, so as not to incur a crime. Liberland says it has 10 ‘diaspora villages’ where people who want to integrate the nation live. Jedlicka has maintained on different occasions that she believes that in that space of seven square kilometers, only larger than the Vatican and Monaco, some 120,000 people could live without complications.
Its web page, in which any citizen of the world can, hosts 500,000 petitions. For now, they will have to wait.
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