The EU Commissioner for justice, freedom and security is in charge of two policy chapters Croatia and the EU have been negotiating about, the chapter Judiciary and fundamental rights and the chapter Justice, freedom and security.
I appreciate the efforts your government is making on the road to the EU, but there is still a lot of work to be done, not only in the reform of legislation, but also in its implementation, Frattini said in an address to a government session on Thursday.
An efficient and transparent judicial system is one of the main criteria Croatia must meet to become an EU member, Frattini said, adding that nobody can be above the law, particularly the judges.
As for the fight against corruption, the EU official pointed to the need to prevent, detect and prosecute such cases.
I would like to see concrete progress in concrete cases, he added.
The fight against corruption should proceed on two tracks, by reforming legislation and making concrete steps, he said.
Progress is soon expected in both policy chapters, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and Frattini agreed.
Sanader said that a report on the process of screening for the chapter Judiciary and fundamental rights was expected soon.
As for the chapter Justice, freedom and security, for which Croatia received a benchmark (on integrated border management) and successfully met it, a formal decision on its opening is expected in the weeks to come.
The chapter is ready for a formal decision by the Council of the EU that it be opened. We are expecting such a decision in the weeks to come, Frattini said.
He underlined the importance of regional cooperation, adding that Croatia was already playing an important role in the region.
Regional cooperation is very important because Croatia is a transit country for smuggled tobacco, drugs, vehicles, and people, he said.
The European Commission is willing to financially assist Croatia, but Croatia must do its part of the job, Frattini said.
The two officials also discussed the impact of the upcoming expansion of the Schengen space on Croatia.
Frattini said that he had discussed the matter recently with the ministers of the interior of Slovenia, Hungary, and Italy and voiced hope that a satisfactory and acceptable solution would be found in talks with Croatia.
Earlier in the day, the EU official met Croatia's ministers or justice and internal affairs.