ZAGREB, April 17 (Hina) - Following talks with Croatian President Stipe Mesic, Council of Europe rapporteurs on Monday expressed conviction that the monitoring process in Croatia would end by the end of this year, thanks to the
positive development of democracy in the country, which they observed during talks with Croatia's most senior officials.
ZAGREB, April 17 (Hina) - Following talks with Croatian President
Stipe Mesic, Council of Europe rapporteurs on Monday expressed
conviction that the monitoring process in Croatia would end by the
end of this year, thanks to the positive development of democracy in
the country, which they observed during talks with Croatia's most
senior officials. #L#
After visiting the Parliament and talks with President Mesic we are
considering Croatia serious in relation to its obligations towards
the CoE with increasing optimism, Monitoring committee rapporteur
Jerzy Jaskiernia, said.
The meeting with Mesic focused on respecting assumed commitments,
amendments to the Constitution, Law on minorities and their
language, returnees and the media, and the transition into a
parliamentary system, Jaskiernia said.
He expressed particular satisfaction with Mesic's claim that it was
"in the interest of Croatia to fulfil its obligations towards the
Council of Europe because it wishes to be a democratic state," and
all CoE expectations are directly connected with the expectations
of the current President and Government.
We share President Mesic's stance and we are not here to control,
but to share experience on democratic standards.
I hope Croatia will continue the progress which will enable us to
conclude the monitoring process, he asserted.
According to Jaskiernia, the report on Croatia will be orally
presented at a session of the Monitoring Committee in Paris on May
4, while a written report will be completed by June's committee
session after which the Croatian Government will have a certain
amount of time to respond to the views of the rapporteurs.
The Monitoring Committee will prepare the final report for the
autumn session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly at
which, Jaskiernia announced, he would most likely recommend an end
to the monitoring process in Croatia.
Co-rapporteur Marija Stojanova from Bulgaria also expressed
optimism after talks with Mesic and other Croatian officials,
saying they had heard exactly what they wanted to hear.
Council of Europe rapporteurs earlier in the day met Croatian
Parliament president Zlatko Tomcic and president of the
Constitutional Court Smiljko Sokol.
Ensuing are meetings with representatives of Parliament party
benches of the ruling coalition and opposition, representatives of
non-government organisations, national minorities and the media.
According to Stojanova, all CoE recommendations had been installed
in the programme of the new Croatian Government, and the first
confirmation of this was the start of the process of Croatia's
accession into the European Union.
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