ZAGREB, Dec 18 (Hina) - All party benches in the Croatian parliament on Wednesday endorsed a government-sponsored proposal that Croatia submit an application for EU membership in February 2003, and the majority of benches supported a
government's national programme for association with the EU.
ZAGREB, Dec 18 (Hina) - All party benches in the Croatian parliament
on Wednesday endorsed a government-sponsored proposal that Croatia
submit an application for EU membership in February 2003, and the
majority of benches supported a government's national programme
for association with the EU. #L#
The ruling coalition parties entirely supported the government
proposals regarding association with the EU, while the Opposition
presented a number of objections to the national programme,
particularly regarding its economic segment, describing it as "a
pre-election programme".
Ivic Pasalic of the Croatian Bloc said that Croatia's foreign
policy was experiencing a major debacle and that the government's
wish to achieve a consensus on Croatia's European future was
actually a plan to divide responsibility for the failures of its
foreign policy.
The national programme does not reflect Croatia's, but the EU's
vital interests, Pasalic said.
Anto Djapic of the Croatian Party of Rights advocated a broad public
debate or a referendum on open questions arising from the process of
association.
A former coalition partner, the Croatian Social Liberal Party
(HSLS), supported the government's plan to apply for EU membership
in 2003, but described the national programme of association as "an
election programme of the ruling coalition".
Party whip Drazen Budisa said that the drawback of the national
programme was the fact that Croatia was drawing it up before it had
become an EU candidate.
He also recalled Article 141 of the Constitution, which calls for a
referendum before any association is joined.
Budisa believes that Croatia's foreign policy has failed because
the country's position in "the European architecture of the Western
Balkans has not changed".
Mate Granic of the Democratic Centre urged the adoption of a
parliamentary resolution on association with the EU, based on which
the government would submit an application for membership.
Granic believes that Croatia has done too little to be granted
individual admission to the EU.
Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly supported the
adoption of the government's proposals by consensus, but expressed
doubt that Croatia would join the EU in 2007 due to a number of
internal problems, particularly economic ones, and unresolved
issues, including the return of refugees.
Voicing support for the government's proposal for EU candidacy in
2003, Ivo Sanader of the Croatian Democratic Union said he could not
understand "why the head of state does not accept the government's
proposal but is suggesting that Croatia submit an application for
EU membership only after the Stabilisation and Association Process
is completed".
Sanader said that the regional approach of the so-called Western
Balkans prevailed among EU countries and that the government,
therefore, had to explain to the EU that Croatia could
simultaneously participate in two process - joining the EU
individually and helping it establish peace in the region.
Vesna Pusic of the Croatian People's Party/Primorje-Gorski Kotar
Alliance/Croatian Party of Slavonija and Baranja said that
Croatia's admission to the EU was a first-class political goal and
that it was not possible not to treat it as a pre- or post-election
issue.
She stressed that all political concepts did not necessarily lead
to Croatia's admission to the EU. The government programme makes it
possible, because it first introduces European standards in
Croatia, the logical consequence of which is EU membership, she
said.
Mato Arlovic of the Social Democratic Party supported the
government's proposals, suggesting the setting up of a task force
to draw up a parliamentary resolution on association with the EU.
Luka Trconic of the Croatian Peasant Party supported the
government, stressing the most important thing was that Croatia
joined the EU "for its own sake and the sake of its prosperity". He
suggested the establishment of a separate parliamentary body to
follow activities in that process.
The government's proposals have received the support of the
coalition's Liberal Party and the minority bench as well. Jozo
Rados of Libra recalled that Croatia had always lagged behind in
Euro-Atlantic integration processes. He said that it was only in
the late 1990s that Croatia had managed "with significant effort"
to join the Council of Europe, well after Albania and Macedonia. The
same thing happened with NATO's Partnership for Peace, Rados said.
(hina) rml sb