ZAGREB, April 17 (Hina) - The process of monitoring of the Council of Europe over Croatia should be completed by the end of this year, and problems which should be resolved by then refer primarily to the adoption of a constitutional
law on national minorities, refugee return, and media freedom, Council of Europe officials and Croatian representatives agreed in Zagreb on Monday. At the beginning of their three-day visit to Croatia, Council of Europe's rapporteurs Marija Stoyanova from Bulgaria and Jerzy Jaskernia from Poland met Sabor President Zlatko Tomcic. Also present at the meeting were the head of Croatia's delegation at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Mirjana Feric-Vac, and a Sabor Vice-President and head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Zdravko Tomac. Tomac announced that the process of monitoring could be completed as early as June, if Croatia adopted the constitutional law on
ZAGREB, April 17 (Hina) - The process of monitoring of the Council
of Europe over Croatia should be completed by the end of this year,
and problems which should be resolved by then refer primarily to the
adoption of a constitutional law on national minorities, refugee
return, and media freedom, Council of Europe officials and Croatian
representatives agreed in Zagreb on Monday.
At the beginning of their three-day visit to Croatia, Council of
Europe's rapporteurs Marija Stoyanova from Bulgaria and Jerzy
Jaskernia from Poland met Sabor President Zlatko Tomcic.
Also present at the meeting were the head of Croatia's delegation at
the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Mirjana Feric-Vac,
and a Sabor Vice-President and head of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, Zdravko Tomac.
Tomac announced that the process of monitoring could be completed
as early as June, if Croatia adopted the constitutional law on
minorities.
"If we adopt the constitutional law by June, the monitoring will be
discontinued, and if not, it will be discontinued by the end of this
year," Tomac told reporters after the meeting.
Jaskernia said the report on Croatia would be first presented to the
Committee for Monitoring in Paris in June, and the Croatian
government would have two months to respond to it.
The Croatian government will have two months to comment on our
observations and the decision on ending the process of monitoring
will depend on when Croatia responds to the report, Jaskernia
said.
He emphasised that of the 21 commitments Croatia had taken over when
it sought full membership in the Council of Europe, there still
remained the adoption of the constitutional law, human rights,
refugee return, and media freedom.
Jaskernia added, though, the Council had the feeling that
considerable progress had been made in the past two months.
The Council of Europe rapporteurs should also meet Croatian
President Stipe Mesic, as well as representatives of the
Government, non-governmental organisations, media, minorities,
several parliamentary committees, and the parliamentary benches of
the ruling coalition and opposition parties.
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