Pocket State: Free Republic of Verdis

 

The Free Republic of Verdis, officially known as a micronation, was proclaimed on May 30, 2019, by Australian-born Daniel Jackson. It occupies a small, forested parcel of land known on local maps as "Pocket-3," situated on the western bank of the Danube River, at the border between Serbia and Croatia. Verdis is not recognized by any sovereign state or international organization and is one of several such claims arising from an enduring border dispute in the Balkans.

Verdis owes its conceptual existence to a legal ambiguity dating back to the dissolution of Yugoslavia. The border dispute between Croatia and Serbia revolves around the Danube River. While Serbia maintains the international boundary should follow the centerline of the Danube, Croatia insists on using older cadastral (land registry) lines. This disagreement results in several patches of land along the river's course being claimed by both states, but also a few small areas, like Pocket-3, that are claimed by neither.

The founders of Verdis asserted a claim over this approximately 0.5 square kilometer territory using the principle of terra nullius—Latin for "no man's land"—positing that as the land was unclaimed by the neighboring nations, it was available for declaration as a new state.

The micronation's declared government operates as a provisional republic based on direct democratic principles. Its stated foundational ideology centers on environmental consciousness, humanitarian aid, and ethnic reconciliation, aiming to create a sustainable, neutral hub in Central and Eastern Europe. The official languages are English, Croatian, and Serbian, and the Euro is the purported currency. The founders have actively worked to build a virtual state, attracting over 15,000 applications for citizenship and issuing passports.

Despite its fully formed digital presence, Verdis has faced severe real-world obstacles. A major attempt by President Jackson and other settlers to establish a permanent habitation in October 2023 was met with intervention by Croatian police. The authorities dismantled the fledgling settlement, detained the settlers, and issued a permanent ban on Jackson entering Croatian territory, from which the land is most easily accessed.

As a result, the Free Republic of Verdis currently exists primarily as a "government in exile," with its activities focused online and through diplomatic efforts in neighboring countries, like Serbia, which have been perceived as more receptive to the project. The micronation remains a prominent contemporary example of how unresolved territorial disputes can lead to aspirational statehood projects.