In Conversation with the President of the Free Republic of Verdis: Eighteen Months On

Eighteen months after our first interview, Europinion sat down once more with Daniel Jackson, the President of the self-declared Free Republic of Verdis, to reflect on how this ambitious micronational project has evolved. Jackson speaks candidly about Verdis’s shifting geopolitical environment, the pressures of sustaining a self-declared state, and the challenges posed by its location on the contested margins between Croatia and Serbia.

A central focus of the conversation is Verdis’s continuing pursuit of international recognition. Jackson discusses the legal pathways, diplomatic outreach and institutional reforms intended to strengthen Verdis’s claims, while addressing what he describes as an “effective blockade” imposed by Croatia. Restricted access to the claimed territory has shaped almost every aspect of Verdis’s development, influencing policy decisions, operational planning and the republic’s sense of identity.

The interview also explores how Verdis has sought to build legitimacy through alternative means, from humanitarian initiatives and engagement in regional issues, to its expanding digital framework of e-residency, citizenship, and administrative services. Funding, community support and long-term sustainability all remain complex questions, and Jackson outlines the strategies his administration has adopted to confront them.

Cultural ambition plays its part too. Jackson reflects on the symbolism of recognition not only in diplomatic terms but in the cultural sphere, including the intriguing possibility, however aspirational, of a future Verdisian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Throughout the discussion, Jackson examines the role of leadership, the future shape of Verdis’s political system, and the prospects for moving from micronation to durable state actor. The result is an insightful look at a project that continues to straddle the boundary between idealism, geopolitics and the evolving realities of twenty-first-century statehood.

Interview by: Will Kingston-Cox

Image: Europinion/Daniel Jackson