ZAGREB, Oct 7 (Hina) - Parliamentary opposition parties said on Tuesday that the government had informed the parliament only about the technical side of the answers to 4,560 questions of the European Commission regarding Croatia's
candidacy for membership in the European Union, stressing that the substance of the answers was withheld from both the opposition and the public.
ZAGREB, Oct 7 (Hina) - Parliamentary opposition parties said on
Tuesday that the government had informed the parliament only about
the technical side of the answers to 4,560 questions of the European
Commission regarding Croatia's candidacy for membership in the
European Union, stressing that the substance of the answers was
withheld from both the opposition and the public. #L#
During a debate on a government report on the preparation of the
answers to the European Commission questionnaire, most opposition
deputies agreed that the Ministry of European Integration had done
a great job.
The opposition, however, maintained the view that the government
had failed to discuss the matter in parliament as had been done by
Slovenia, Hungary and all other applicants for EU membership.
Democratic Centre (DC) leader Mate Granic said he agreed with the
view that it was questionable that an outgoing government should be
dealing with the EU questionnaire 50 days before parliamentary
elections.
Granic added that he did not expect any opinion from the EU on
Croatia's application before a new parliamentary majority and a new
government took shape.
Drazen Budisa of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) said that
the government was too confident in counting on an individual
approach of the EU to candidates for EU membership, as there was an
increasing opinion that the western Balkans should be preserved.
Budisa said that citizens should be acquainted with the
government's answers to the European Commission questionnaire and
that they should be prepared for a referendum as provided for under
the Constitution.
Jadranka Kosor of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said that
deputies did not even know what the government answered in the
chapter dealing with the work of the parliament.
Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) said that the
government report was so general that it said nothing to members of
the parliament.
Speaking of the case of fugitive general Ante Gotovina and the
proclamation of the fishing zone in the Adriatic, Kajin expressed
fears that Croatia would not be admitted into the EU by 2007.
Parties of the ruling coalition supported the government report,
saying that it would be possible to evaluate the work relating to
the answers only after first responses from the EU.
(hina) vm sb