ZAGREB, Feb 4 (Hina) - A group of European liberals, democrats and reformists at the European Parliament will endorse Croatia's application for membership in the European Union, the head of the said parliamentary fraction, Graham
Watson, said in Zagreb Tuesday.
ZAGREB, Feb 4 (Hina) - A group of European liberals, democrats and
reformists at the European Parliament will endorse Croatia's
application for membership in the European Union, the head of the
said parliamentary fraction, Graham Watson, said in Zagreb
Tuesday. #L#
The group will support Croatia's request to join the EU, said
Watson. He believes that negotiations on full membership should
start as soon as Croatia fulfils the criteria from Copenhagen.
Watson spoke at a conference about the EU's expansion process and
Croatia's prospects at the Croatian parliament.
The conference was organised by the parliament's Committee on
European Integration, Germany's "Friedrich Naumann" foundation
and the College of Europe-Croatia Alumni Association.
In Copenhagen in 1993, the European Union determined a set of
political and economic criteria for membership.
Watson said that the economic achievements Croatia had made lately,
as well as an internal consensus on joining the EU, would help the
country to fulfil all obligations.
The primary condition is cooperation with the U.N. war crimes
tribunal. Watson applauded the Croatian government's
determination to cooperate with the tribunal, stressing that
progress in this area was gauged solely by results.
He, however, warned about the case of retired General Ante
Gotovina, urging the government to locate and apprehend him. Great
Britain and the Netherlands have frozen the ratification of the
Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Croatia and the EU
until this and similar cases are solved, he reminded.
Regarding the return of refugees, the European official hailed the
government's successes, pointing out that about 100,000 Croatian
Serbs had returned to their homes in Croatia. He, however, added
that fixing houses was not sufficient. Conditions for these people
to remain in Croatia must be created, he said.
Watson also commended the recently passed constitutional law on the
rights of minorities. In this context, he said that the
concentration of ownership over the media by a handful of people
should be avoided. Also, politics should not interfere with the
media, Watson added.
The chairman of Croatia's parliamentary Committee on European
Integration, Mate Granic, said that membership in the EU and NATO
was the strategic priority of Croatia's foreign policy.
There are certain doubts in the Croatian public about regional
cooperation, he said, and advocated an active regional policy which
he said should not be imposed.
The head of the Friedrich Naumann foundation in Zagreb, Hans-Georg
Fleck, said that the chances of Croatia's application to join the EU
being well received were fairly good.
Croatia is currently in a much better position, but is facing a
tough journey towards the European Union, Fleck said. He stressed
that Croatia should not be mislead by quasi-democrats and petty
politicians who claimed that Croatia could prosper outside the EU.
(hina) lml sb