On a strip of unclaimed territory between Croatia and Serbia, a self-proclaimed president has made a new nation, and it has a government, a flag, a currency, and nearly 400 citizens. The Free Republic of Verdis is a micronation founded by Daniel Jackson, a 20-year-old Australian digital designer living in the disputed territory of the Danube River called the Pocket Three.
Jackson told SWNS, “It began as a kind of experiment with some mates when I was 14.” However, it was just the daydreaming of a teenager, which soon turned into something bigger. Jackson formally proclaimed the independence of Verdis on May 30, 2019. At the age of 18, he was drafting legislation and creating a flag and a cabinet.
Verdis currently operates in the euro and has accepted English, Croatian, and Serbian as its official languages. The land can only be reached by boat in the Croatian city of Osijek, but the self-proclaimed republic has already garnered attention from more than 15,000 individuals, having 400 officially accepted citizens who even get Verdisian passports. Nevertheless, Jackson cautions against their use when travelling abroad.
Its existence has been hampered by significant challenges, particularly by Croatian authorities. In October of 2023, Jackson and a number of settlers were arrested and deported. He now operates a “government in exile” and alleges Croatian police have set up surveillance to block access from Serbia.
Jackson is optimistic despite the fact that he is banned from entering Croatia throughout his lifetime. He said, It is a question of when, not whether, we shall be back on the land. Croatia does not own the land; hence, we are entitled to it.
Verdis is more concerned with useful skills such as medicine and law enforcement workers to develop a functioning society. Although the international community does not acknowledge Verdis, Jackson keeps on insisting that it is legitimate, not because it wants to exercise power, but because it wants to be able to be a normal citizen of the second smallest nation in the world. It has been an eye-opener, he responded, “I am rather proud of what I have done.”
