British Man Establishes Self as President of Unclaimed Balkan Territory
In an extraordinary tale of geopolitical ambition, a 21-year-old British man has declared himself president of his own country after claiming a patch of unclaimed land in the Balkans and has now opened embassies on his local high street and in Serbia.
The Birth of the Free Republic of Verdis
Daniel Jackson first conceived the idea of starting his own nation at just 14 years old with a group of friends. The young visionaries noticed that following a border dispute, several parcels of land along the Danube River remained unclaimed by either Croatia or Serbia.
On May 30, 2019, Jackson officially declared one of these land pockets - known as Pocket-3 on official maps - as the Free Republic of Verdis. Since that declaration, he has worked tirelessly to establish his country's legitimacy, recently opening two embassies: one in his hometown of Dover, Kent, and another in Novi Sad, Serbia.
Embassy Operations and International Recognition
The two diplomatic hubs, decorated with the Verdis flag, currently function as 'representative offices' while awaiting formal recognition from host countries. For now, they primarily serve as centers for printing ID cards and passports for participants in the 11-month e-residency program that grants official citizenship in the new nation.
'We have opened two embassies,' Jackson explained. 'They are still representative offices until the host countries recognise us. I spend a lot of time at the offices.'
The Serbian embassy opening was particularly celebratory, with Jackson noting: 'For the Serbian one we did a proper grand opening which was really good. We had some awesome people show up and we had champagne and everything. It was quite fun. We have got banners up and flags in each room. The Serbian one has a flag hanging off the balcony and it is properly kitted out.'
Geographic and Political Challenges
Verdis occupies a total area of 0.501 square kilometers (approximately 125 acres), which would make it the second smallest country in the world, just behind Vatican City. However, accessing the territory presents significant challenges.
The micronation is only accessible via boat from Osijek, and attempts at settlement have so far been unsuccessful. Jackson himself has been banned from Croatia, and he claims Croatian authorities have 'installed cameras along the Verdisian coastline' to prevent access from Serbia, effectively making Verdis a 'government in exile.'
Despite these obstacles, progress has been made with Serbian officials, with Jackson recently being accepted for Serbian citizenship. 'We are still thriving,' he stated. 'We are making a lot of progress, but we are still blockaded. They haven't backed down much, but they are starting to comment now.'
Jackson remains determined: 'Croatia doesn't claim the land, so we have the right to it and we believe that we have a good chance. It is a matter of when not if we get back on the land. Anything can happen. We do acknowledge that we are ambitious.'
Building a Nation from Scratch
The British-Australian president has dedicated himself to creating all the trappings of statehood, including:
- Passports and identification documents
- A distinctive national flag
- Official merchandise
- A complete government cabinet
- Comprehensive laws and regulations
- An official coat of arms
Verdis currently has 400 official citizens, with English, Croatian, and Serbian serving as its official languages. The nation uses the Euro as its currency.
The E-Residency Program and Financial Support
Since its founding, Verdis has gained substantial social media attention, with over 2,800 applicants currently enrolled in the e-residency program. Through this initiative and crowdfunding efforts, Jackson reports raising approximately £180,000 to support the nation's development.
Jackson, who left his job designing Roblox worlds to focus full-time on Verdis, reflected: 'Verdis was an idea I had when I was 14, it was just a bit of an experiment at first with a few mates. We have all dreamed of creating something crazy.'
'To the naked eye it is just a lot of forest,' he continued, 'but when you realise that you are in a country you have created it is magical. We have thousands of e-residents and we are shipping out hundreds of ID cards every month. It is really pushing forward quite well.'
Future Plans and Public Reception
The Verdis project has become Jackson's full-time occupation, supported by employees and volunteers. 'It is quite busy,' he acknowledged. 'Verdis is full time for me now. I am not in it for the money, I only take enough to live. I am not keen on profiting off of it.'
Young people have been particularly supportive of the micronation, with only minimal opposition from ultra-nationalist groups. Jackson plans to step down as president once the country is fully established and operational.
Looking ahead, the Verdisian government is considering opening a third embassy, with Jackson currently finalizing a location for this additional diplomatic outpost as his unconventional nation-building project continues to develop.
