"Croatia has made considerable progress in the field of respect for fundamental rights in the past ten years," Gil-Robles said in the final comments and recommendations of his 22-page report, which is based on his visit to Croatia in June 2004.
The commissioner welcomed the efforts of the present government to improve the human rights situation "of all inhabitants of Croatia without ethnic distinction" and recommended that the necessary funds be assigned to institutions in charge of human rights protection, particularly to the Ombudsman.
He further recommended reducing the backlog of court cases "by ensuring a better repartition of judges and funds per jurisdiction, by continuing to increase the means assigned to justice, (and) by ensuring the execution of justice decisions."
Croatia should "reform as soon as possible legislation in the field of free legal aid by ensuring that it is of benefit, without discrimination, to Croats and to foreigners alike," the report says.
A considerable part of the report is devoted to the description of the chaotic situation in the real estate sector and the restitution of property to refugees who are returning to areas formerly affected by war.
Croatia should "ensure that reconstruction aid is rapidly assigned according to the realistic needs of each claimant and that the aid distribution criteria do not create de facto ethnic discrimination."
Rightful owners should be allowed to enjoy their property by evicting the present owners without delay or giving them fair compensation.
Gil-Robles urged restitution of formerly socially owned housing to pre-war tenants, called for owners of agricultural land to be allowed to enjoy their property as soon as possible, and said that vandalism against returned properties should be prevented.
The report calls on the authorities to cooperate with all relevant institutions in order to settle the painful issues of missing persons.
It is necessary to provide for the separate detention of all young adult offenders in order to protect them from detrimental influence and develop programmes adapted to their needs.
The commissioner also urged the government to assign the necessary funds for the implementation of the National Programme for Roma in order to provide the Roma community with better access to the labour market, prevent segregation between the Roma and non-Roma children in schools, and punish racially-motivated violence.