European Parliament resolution of 25 April 2007 on Croatia's 2006 progress report (2006/2288(INI))
Date: 2007-04-25
Institutions: Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: Croatia, accession criteria, accession negotiations, accession to the European Union, enlargement of the Union

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33.
Encourages the US Administration, the EU Presidency and the Commission to sign the Air Transport
Agreement of 2 March 2007 between the US Administration and the EU Commission at the upcoming
Summit as the first stage agreement for renewed cooperation between the US and the EU in the very
important Transatlantic Aviation Area; hopes that the US will soon ratify that agreement and encourages
both sides to start the negotiations for the second stage agreement as soon as possible;

Calls on the European and American partners to take account in their economic relations of the role

34.
and special features of the cultural and educational sectors;

Institutional framework and role of Parliament

Emphasises that only the wider involvement, at all levels, of Congress and the Parliament will make it
35.
possible to truly improve the whole process and that the existing interparliamentary exchange should be
gradually transformed into a de facto ‘Transatlantic Assembly’;

36.
Calls on the upcoming EU-US Summit to support the parliamentary dimension of the transatlantic
partnership, to enhance the role of legislators in the dialogue between the EU and the US, and to involve
civil society from both sides of the Atlantic more closely;

37.
Stresses its commitment to continue contributing to the strength and stability of the Transatlantic
Partnership through its engagement in the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue; supports the effort to establish
a legislative early-warning system between the European Parliament and the US Congress;

38.
Urges the EU-US Summit to agree to an adequate level of parliamentary participation in the EU-US
Summits and calls for a meeting prior to every summit between the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue and
the Senior-Level Group to exchange views on the progress of the Work Programme and the preparations for
the Summit; reiterates the need to create a stable institutional parliamentary framework;

Requests the Commission to discuss with the relevant EP committees its negotiating strategy before

39.
engaging in negotiations with its US counterparts, when those negotiations tackle legislative issues;

40.
Calls on its relevant committee to use the budget for 2007 to provide the necessary funds for estab-
lishing a permanent European Parliament official post in Washington DC that ensures proper institutionali-
sation of Parliament's own activities and allows for an improvement in liaisons between the European
Parliament and the US Congress;

*

*

*

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments

41.
and parliaments of the Member States and the President and Congress of the United States of America.

P6_TA(2007)0156

Progress report on Croatia

European Parliament

resolution of 25 April 2007 on Croatia's 2006 progress

report

(2006/2288(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the decision by the Council on 3 October 2005 to open accession negotiations with

Croatia,

— having regard to the Croatia 2006 Progress Report, published by the Commission on 8 November

2006 (SEC(2006)1385),

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— having regard to the recommendations of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee of 3-4 Octo-

ber 2006,

— having regard to the European Council's Presidency Conclusions of 14-15 December 2006,

— having regard to its resolution of 13 December 2006 on the Commission's Communication on the

Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2006-2007 (1),

— having regard to the recommendations of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee of 20 and

21 March 2007,

— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A6-0092/2007),

A. whereas Croatia has continued to make good progress in terms of the political, economic and acquis
criteria and should be congratulated on the important steps taken in many fields to adapt its legislation
in the light of the screening exercise,

B. whereas, provided that Croatia addresses the outstanding challenges and develops adequate administra-
tive capacity, negotiations should continue at a sustained pace and should lead, as soon as all the
criteria have been met and the negotiations are completed, to a timely accession of Croatia to the
European Union,

C. whereas Croatia should do its outmost to carry out the necessary reforms so that the negotiations can
be concluded in time for the European Parliament to give its assent before the next EU parliamentary
election in June 2009,

D. whereas Croatia's accession prospects have a regional dimension since they are a tangible sign that, in
accordance with the conclusions of the 2003 Thessaloniki European Council, the future of all Western
Balkans countries really lies in the European Union, as confirmed in various resolutions of the Euro-
pean Parliament,

E. whereas Croatia is expressly supporting the European aspirations of its neighbours,

F. whereas lessons from past enlargements show that each country should be judged on its own merits,
that the pace of accession negotiations should be dictated by effective compliance with the Copenhagen
criteria and that the degree of compliance with such criteria should also determine the final date of
accession,

G. whereas the Treaty of Nice does not provide an adequate basis for further enlargements, and whereas
the essential substance of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe should therefore enter into
force by the end of 2008, in order to create the necessary conditions for future enlargements and
enable the Union to work more effectively, more transparently and more democratically, this being a
prerequisite for further enlargements; whereas, moreover, the Commission and the Council must work
intensively on creating the necessary preconditions for enlargement — and specifically for Croatia's
accession to the EU,

H. whereas responsibility for ensuring the European Union's capacity for further successful enlargement

lies with the Union and not with the candidate countries,

I. whereas the joint screening process was successfully completed in October 2006 and bilateral negotia-

tions with Croatia could subsequently start on specific aspects of the acquis,

J. whereas so far six different chapters of the acquis have been opened and two, concerning science and

research and education and culture, have been provisionally closed,

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0568.

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K. whereas the Commission has already made use of benchmarks in order to monitor progress by the
Croatian authorities in crucial and sensitive areas such as competition policy, public procurement, the
free movement of capital, justice, freedom and security, social policy and employment,

Wednesday 25 April 2007

L. whereas Croatia's efforts to meet the accession criteria need to be sustained and matched by effective

implementation measures and adequate monitoring mechanisms,

M. whereas a thorough reform of the public administration and the judiciary, together with the police, is

central to, and a necessary condition for, achieving the standards required for EU accession,

N. whereas a thorough and objective analysis of the region's recent history, true reconciliation between the
different peoples and the establishment of good neighbourly relations can substantially contribute to a
genuine European integration process,

O. whereas the prosecution of war crimes and the reintegration of refugees and displaced persons are

fundamental elements of the reconciliation process;

1.

Notes that Croatia has already made considerable progress on the way to EU accession;

2.
Considers, in line with the Commission's communication on Enlargement Strategy and Main Chal-
lenges 2006-2007 (COM(2006)0649), that Croatia continues to meet the political criteria for accession
and can be regarded as a functioning market economy that should be able to cope with competitive pres-
sures and market forces within the Union in the medium term, provided that it vigorously implements its
reform programme so as to remove the significant remaining weaknesses;

3.
Congratulates the Croatian authorities on the rapid progress made so far in accession negotiations,
particularly in the adoption of key pieces of legislation in crucial areas such as public administration, the
administration of courts and anti-corruption policy;

Supports the government and opposition in their efforts, despite the forthcoming elections, to take
4.
necessary, albeit sometimes difficult decisions, particularly in the field of competition policy and state aid,
and points out that those decisions will ultimately benefit all Croatian citizens;

Asks the Croatian government to strengthen its capacity to implement laws transposed from the

5.
acquis communautaire into national legislation in all fields, especially in the area of the environment;

In this regard, urges the Croatian authorities to take into due consideration the concerns raised by
6.
local communities and public opinion with regard to controversial industrial projects which might pose a
threat to the environment or public health, and calls on them to set up a clear and transparent procedure
whereby all stakeholders, and not merely investors, can be informed and consulted;

7.
Invites the Croatian government in this regard to fully respect and implement international documents
such as the Aarhus Convention and to eventually ratify the Kyoto Protocol in accordance with the most
recent EU environmental strategies;

8.
Is concerned by flagging public support for EU accession in Croatia and welcomes the fact that the
Government and the opposition are joining forces in explaining to the public the economic, political, social
and cultural benefits resulting from the accession process; calls on the Commission to intensify its own
information activities concerning the above-mentioned benefits;

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9.
Emphasises the need to implement rapidly and effectively the reforms adopted so far in order to
further modernise Croatia and thereby to further strengthen and stabilise democracy and the social market
economy; in this respect:

(a) notes that the provisions in the Civil Service Act introducing transparency and objectivity in the
appointment and assessment of civil servants will not enter into force until after the next election;
further notes that this decision could create an impression of delay in this important area and thereby
encourage the view that the government's determination to reform public administration is less than
wholehearted, even though the ending of political interference in the civil service is of the highest
importance to the present government;

(b) notes the commitment of the Croatian Minister for Justice to pursue the rationalisation, as announced,
of the number of courts operating in the country,
in order to make them more professional and
efficient; reminds the Minister that this process must go hand in hand with the establishment of ade-
quate procedures and criteria for appointing and assessing judicial staff aimed at providing sufficient
guarantees for a professional and independent judiciary; welcomes in this respect the establishment of a
working party for the development of new framework criteria for the assessment of judges and the
amendment of the Courts Act introducing the obligation for judges to declare their assets and the
possibility of transferring judges to overburdened courts; is convinced that the backlog of cases should
be further tackled by promoting alternative dispute resolution mechanisms with the aim of achieving an
effective judicial system;

(c)

commends Croatia for fully cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugo-
slavia (ICTY); is concerned, however, that, as shown by recent judicial decisions, the effective prosecu-
tion of war crimes might be undermined by hostility at local level, persisting bias amongst some of the
judicial staff against non-Croatian nationals and insufficient protection of witnesses against intimidation;
urges the Croatian Government to continue actively to encourage and support the prosecution of war
crimes, regardless of the nationality of the perpetrators; is also concerned about certain initiatives taken
by the Government, notably its offer to support the defence costs for army generals and its request to
act as amicus curiae in cases pending before the ICTY;

(d)

takes the view that the all Croatian institutions and parties should counteract the public's perception of
the ICTY as a hostile institution and publicise the role which the ICTY plays in prosecuting crimes
committed against Croat civilians;

(e) notes that an appropriate legal framework is in place concerning the protection of minorities as well as
a demonstrated commitment to integrating minorities in the political system; recalls the importance of
guaranteeing adequate representation of those minorities in the civil service, in the police forces and in
the judiciary, as well as equal treatment in property-related and economic matters; calls for the devel-
opment at all levels of state administration of a concrete action plan for achieving proportional repre-
sentation of minorities, pursuant to the provisions of the Constitutional Law and with adequate provi-
sions for monitoring;

(f) notes with satisfaction the positive developments in the process for the return of refugees and displaced
persons; invites the Government to further encourage return by seeking fair, effective and sustainable
ways of addressing the issues of housing and employment, these being the main concerns of prospec-
tive returnees; asks the Croatian authorities to guarantee water and electricity services for all villages
concerned;

(g) welcomes the Government's new five-year plan to tackle the issue of housing provision for former
tenancy right-holders outside the areas of special state concern; in this context, emphasises the need
for the accelerated implementation of the new action plan, in order to address the pressing needs of the
population concerned;

(h) yet again invites the Croatian authorities to reopen the deadline for the recognition of working years in
respect of people who worked in the so-called ‘Republika Srpska Krajina’ during the conflict and to
allow these non-residents too to apply for such recognition; reminds the authorities that this would be
a tangible sign of Croatia's willingness to overcome the rifts left by the conflict and promote reconcilia-
tion in the country;

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(i)

(j)

is pleased to note Croatia's steadily increasing economic growth, based on an ambitious reform agenda
and on strong private investment, and hopes that this will be soon translated into more and better jobs;

reminds the Croatian authorities that an open, competitive market economy is a fundamental require-
ment for EU membership; urges them therefore to implement more seriously and expeditiously the
agreed targets for the sale of minority and majority state-owned interests in companies and for the
reduction of state subsidies, particularly in the shipbuilding and steel sectors; believes that more should
be done to open the Croatian market to foreign investors and service providers and to place them on
the same footing as national operators; appeals to Croatia to authorise, by making full and expedient
use of its existing procedures, the acquisition of real estate by EU nationals, with the exception of the
exempted areas; recalls that the above objectives are already envisaged in the Stabilisation and Associa-
tion Agreement with Croatia;

(k) calls on the Croatian government to strengthen its administrative capacity in order to benefit inten-

sively from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance;

10.
Commends Croatia for the positive and leading role it plays in south-eastern Europe and welcomes
in this respect the activities of the Croatian Government in its current capacity as Chairman-in-Office of the
South-East European Cooperation Process; calls on Croatia and its neighbouring states to settle once and for
all the unresolved border issues;

11.
Urges in particular both the Croatian and the Slovenian governments to exploit all the opportunities
available in order to reach an agreement on all their pending border issues, taking into account the agree-
ments reached so far and the conclusions of the European Council of 17-18 June 2004, and invites them to
abstain from any unilateral action which might undermine such an agreement;

Urges recourse to the good offices of a third party if solutions with the neighbouring countries

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cannot be found bilaterally to outstanding border disputes;

Calls on the Commission to further encourage and support a broad-based truth and reconciliation
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process, in Croatia and throughout the Western Balkans, and to include other neighbouring countries when
necessary; firmly believes that this process should involve civil society, political actors and cultural figures,
and that it should lay the ground for lasting peace and stability in the region; considers that this reconcilia-
tion process must, in particular, target young people and that it should include a thorough review of school
books and curricula for history studies;

14.
Encourages in this respect all efforts made by Croatian civil society to engage the public in debates
and to raise public awareness about the recent past of the Western Balkans; stresses that Croatian non-
governmental organisations are a fundamental and indispensable element of a genuine pluralistic society;
calls on the Croatian Government to support education in the field of recent history that fosters mutual
understanding;

Calls on the new Member States to play an active role in Croatia's move towards accession, allowing

15.
Croatia to benefit from their experience of reforms;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the govern-

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ments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republic of Croatia.