ZAGREB, April 12 (Hina) - A Cod on the conduct of MPs, their freedom of expression in parliament and outside of it, and the freedom of expression by the media about MPs were the topics of a two-day seminar which on Friday gathered
Croatian MPs, representatives from some ministries and non-governmental organisations and the heads of the EU Mission and OSCE Mission to Croatia.
ZAGREB, April 12 (Hina) - A Cod on the conduct of MPs, their freedom
of expression in parliament and outside of it, and the freedom of
expression by the media about MPs were the topics of a two-day
seminar which on Friday gathered Croatian MPs, representatives
from some ministries and non-governmental organisations and the
heads of the EU Mission and OSCE Mission to Croatia. #L#
The seminar entitled "Harmonising Parliamentary Practise on the
Path to European Associations", that was opened by the head of the
Croatian parliamentary delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe (PA CE), Mirjana Feric-Vac, was organised by
the Croatian parliament and the parliamentary delegation to the PA
CE in association with the International Institution for Democracy
of the Council of Europe.
Just one day after EC Ambassador to Croatia Jacques Wunenburger
presented the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration
with an EC Report on the Stabilisation and Association Process
(SAP) for Croatia, the same diplomat on Friday repeated the EC's
opinion that Croatia was investing efforts to become the "most
attractive possible" candidate for membership in the Union.
Deputy Croatian European Integration Minister Mirjana Mladineo
reported that the Croatian Government had endorsed an
implementation programme for the SAP, a so-called "check list" for
all government bodies. Croatia will as soon as next year try to
forward a request to the Union for full membership by 2006 and as a
candidate will be prepared for this move which "naturally" does not
mean that it will be accepted, Mladineo reminded.
During the discussion, the deputy head of the OSCE Mission to
Croatia, Robert W. Becker, stressed the importance of reforms in
Croatia's judiciary and the imposing of rule of law in general. Once
a country candidate fulfils this step, everything else is just a
matter of adjustment, he said.
Integration of countries from Southeast Europe to Euro-Atlantic
structures and the role of international organisations in that
process were also topics discussed at the seminar.
With reference to speculations that the Pact which was at one time
referred to as Marshall's Plan for the region did not fulfil
expectations, Croatia's national coordinator for the Stability
Pact, Gordan Markotic, said that announcements had been too
ambitious. He said he believed that Croatia had reason to be
satisfied for obtaining EUR363 million in loans within the
framework of the Stability Pact as well as donations amounting to a
total of DM800 million.
On Saturday, participants will consider issues of freedom of
expression for MPs, while two foreign media representatives will
speak about the behaviour of the media in reporting on the work of
MPs.
(hina) sp sb