ZAGREB, June 12 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Thursday adopted a law on asylum and a government-sponsored amendment which postpones the application of the law until 1 July 2004.
ZAGREB, June 12 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Thursday
adopted a law on asylum and a government-sponsored amendment which
postpones the application of the law until 1 July 2004. #L#
The amendment was put forward in light of the fact that a reception
centre for asylum seekers will be built outside Zagreb only in mid-
2004.
The equipment of the centre, which costs around EUR800,000, will be
financed through the CARDS programme and the procedure of obtaining
the funds is rather complicated and takes time.
The state will provide around 530,000 euros for the implementation
of the law.
Under the law, Croatia will grant asylum to a foreigner who is
outside his/her country of origin and cannot or does not want to be
placed under its protection due to reasonable fear of persecution
on grounds of his/her race, religion, nationality and affiliation
to a social or political group.
Asylum-seekers have the right to accommodation, residence,
education, practising of their religion, legal and social
assistance, assistance in integration in social life and the right
to the reunion of the immediate family.
Croatia will accept 150 asylum-seekers annually. So far, four
foreign citizens have been granted asylum.
Opposition MPs voted against the law, demanding that it be sent into
the third reading so that conditions under which a foreigner can be
granted asylum in Croatia are more clearly defined.
Most opposition came from the Social Liberals and the Croatian
Democratic Union, who claimed that the law does not specify
budgetary funds for the implementation of the law and voiced
concern that Croatia could become a "reception centre" for refugees
outside the European Union.
(hina) rml