BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Hina) - All Belgian parliaments will ratify a Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Croatia and the European Union by the end of this year.
BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Hina) - All Belgian parliaments will ratify a
Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Croatia and the
European Union by the end of this year. #L#
The head of the House of Representatives of the Belgian Parliament,
Herman de Croo, told Croatian Defence Minister Zeljka Antunovic on
Thursday morning that the bicameral state parliament and five
regional parliaments would ratify the SAA by the end of the year.
"We have received assurances that by the end of this year Belgium
will ratify the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, which is
exceptionally important for us also as the confirmation of the
efforts we have been investing" also with regard to the current
context, Antunovic told reporters.
The SAA has been ratified to date by Austria, Denmark, Ireland,
Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. On Monday Great Britain
announced that it would suspend the ratification as long as Zagreb
was refusing to extradite General Janko Bobetko to the Hague-based
UN war crimes tribunal.
Ratification in Belgium is slightly more complex because the
country has a bicameral state parliament and five regional
assemblies.
During her visit in Brussels, Minister Antunovic and her Belgian
counterpart, Andre Flahaut signed a bilateral agreement on
cooperation in defence.
(hina) ms sb