WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2210/97 by Lyndon HARRISON to the Commission. Human rights in Croatia
Date: 1997-06-30
Institutions: European Parliament, HARRISON
Subjects: Croatia, Eurostat, Serbia, housing law, human rights, job access, public safety, refugee, return migration, rights of minorities

10. 2. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 45/159

(98/C 45/208)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2210/97

by Lyndon Harrison (PSE) to the Commission

(30 June 1997)

Subject: Human rights in Croatia

Is the Commission aware of reports from (cid:145)Women(cid:146)s Aid for Peace(cid:146) (a humanitarian organization working with
all ethnic groups in former Yugoslavia) that Croat returnees to the Lika area are being deliberately denied their
human rights? In particular, is it aware that the returnees are often refused access to their former homes and
employment? Is the Commission further aware that the Croatian police also show little diligence in pursuing the
perpetrators of crimes against Serbs?

What steps is the Commission taking to monitor human rights violations in Croatia? What are the results of this
monitoring and what pressures is the Commission putting on the Croatian authorities to stamp out such abuses?

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission

(14 July 1997)

The Commission is aware that Croatian Serb returnees are frequently exposed to harassment and a high level of
insecurity in Croatia and unable to move into their former homes. While procedures have been set up to facilitate
the return of Croatian Serb displaced persons from other parts of Croatia to their place of origin, implementation
appears to be deficient in many cases. The return of Croatian Serb refugees to Croatia often meets with deliberate
obstacles created by the Croatian authorities.

The  Commission  has  not  the  means  to  monitor  systematically  violations  of  human  rights  in  Croatia.  The
Community(cid:146)s  monitoring  mission,  led  by  the  respective  Presidencies  of  the  Community,  as  well  as  the
Organization  on  security  and  cooperation  in  Europe  (OSCE)  and  the  United  Nations(cid:146)  special  rapporteurs  for
human rights observe the situation. They regularly report on their findings concerning the respect of human and
minority rights in this country, and the Commission receives these reports. The Community in general, and the
Commission in particular, continuously press the Croatian authorities to respect internationally agreed standards
of human and minority rights and to comply with their international obligations. In the framework of the regional
approach, the development of relations between the Community and Croatia will crucially depend on the latter(cid:146)s
respect of human and minority rights and the creation of real opportunities for refugees to return to their places of
origin.

(98/C 45/209)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2214/97

by Karla Peijs (PPE) to the Commission

(13 June 1997)

Subject: Implementation of Directive 83/189/EEC by the Netherlands Government

Is  the  Commission  aware  of  the  substantial  number  of  laws  and  regulations  of  which  the  Netherlands
1.
Government has failed to notify the Commission in connection with the internal market (as required by Directive
83/189/EEC (1) amended in 1989) since 1983?

Is the Commission aware that the Netherlands Government has said that this problem is not confined to the

2.
Netherlands but also exists in a number of other EU Member States?

If so, which Member States, what is the extent of the negligence and what damage has been done to the

3.
internal market by the negligent Member States?

How does the Commission monitor the implementation of EU legislation in the Member States › i.e. both

4.
legislation in general and the relevant Directive in particular?

5. What are the legal consequences of the negligence of the Netherlands Government?