ZAGREB, March 7 (Hina) - Croatia's application for membership in the EU affects the role of the Mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Croatia, which is gradually making transition from a
monitoring to a proactive phase, the Mission's chief, Peter Semneby, told Croatian parliament president Zlatko Tomcic, whom he visited at his own request on Friday.
ZAGREB, March 7 (Hina) - Croatia's application for membership in
the EU affects the role of the Mission of the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Croatia, which is
gradually making transition from a monitoring to a proactive phase,
the Mission's chief, Peter Semneby, told Croatian parliament
president Zlatko Tomcic, whom he visited at his own request on
Friday. #L#
According to a statement from the parliament's public relations
office, Semneby said next year would be very important for Croatia
in the sense of carrying out political tasks arising from the recent
application for EU membership.
These circumstances also affect the role of the OSCE Mission in
Croatia, which is increasingly assuming a proactive dimension,
said Semneby.
A more proactive role is demonstrated through expert assistance in
the legislative segment and the drawing up of support projects for
Croatian institutions dealing with the protection of human rights,
the statement reads.
The OSCE plans to launch campaigns this summer to increase the
public's awareness about the need for sustainable return and
reconciliation, since the return of refugees remains in the focus
of OSCE's activities, the OSCE chief said.
Semneby expressed satisfaction with the dynamic of interaction
between the Mission and parliament in the past several months,
which is manifested in the taking of OSCE advice and using its
expertise in parliament's legislative tasks, says the statement.
Tomcic stressed that Croatia highly appreciated OSCE's expert
assistance, especially in preparing important laws, and expressed
optimism regarding the process of Croatia's drawing closer to the
EU, about which he said there was a high degree of consensus both in
parliament and the public.
The parliament remains completely open to all well-intended
initiatives which offer good solutions, said Tomcic.
(hina) lml sb