ZAGREB, Dec 14 (Hina) - The European Commissioner in charge of foreign policy, Chris Patten, described 2000 as "a historic year for South East Europe" in the speech he delivered before the European Parliament. According to his speech,
a copy of which the Croatian Foreign Ministry forwarded to Hina on Thursday, it was Croatia which stirred those changes since its January elections.
ZAGREB, Dec 14 (Hina) - The European Commissioner in charge of
foreign policy, Chris Patten, described 2000 as "a historic year
for South East Europe" in the speech he delivered before the
European Parliament.
According to his speech, a copy of which the Croatian Foreign
Ministry forwarded to Hina on Thursday, it was Croatia which
stirred those changes since its January elections.#L#
Addressing the European Parliament which is being in its regular
session in Strasbourg this week, Patten commented on a feasibility
study with which the European Commission laid foundations for the
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). The European
Commission and Croatia signed the SAA at the Zagreb Summit on 24
November.
European Commissioner was looking forward to the start of Croatia's
first negotiations on the SAA in Brussels on Monday, and viewed the
event as the crown of this historic year for southeastern Europe.
"And it was Croatia - let us not forget - that got things moving with
its elections under a year ago," Patten said in his speech.
The negotiations will be conducted by the Croatian negotiating team
"who are very well prepared", Patten said expressing hope that the
parties would make swift progress in these negotiations which will
be speedily completed and this he concluded "on the basis of
Croatia's performance this year."
Patten praised Croatia for having "bravely transformed its
relations with the ICTY, based on the wise assertion of her
President (Stjepan Mesic) that it is only by establishing
individual guilt that a country can truly be absolved of collective
guilt."
The beginning of real political and economic reforms at home led
Patten to conclude that "Croatia would be able to uphold the
substantial obligations which the SAA entails."
According to him, another positive signs are Croatia's admission to
the Partnership for Peace Programme (PfP) and the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) as well as radical changes the new Government
has made to its relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina " - clearly
distancing itself from extremists in Herzegovina and instituting a
more open financial relationship with the Croat component of the
Federation Army."
Patten also commended Zagreb for making free trade agreements with
Macedonia and Slovenia and now with Bosnia as well as for playing "a
helpful role in supporting the democratically elected government
in Montenegro to withstand pressure from the Milosevic regime."
Patten said Croatia had hosted last month's Summit of heads of state
or government of the 15 EU member-states and countries covered by
the SAA process "with impressive efficiency and diplomatic
finesse".
Commenting on the feasibility study, he agreed that it would be
necessary "to increase our financial support for Croatia under
CARDS - ( well beyond the 18.5 m euros that was made available for
Croatia this year - an allocation that had been largely agreed
before the changes at the beginning of the year.)"
In this context Patten reiterated the EU stand, which the Croatian
Government shares, on the individual treatment of SAA countries'
merits. And, Croatia has been pioneering in this in 2000, he added.
He called on SAA countries participating in the SAA process to
establish better ties with their neighbours. "There is nothing
sinister in this, no hidden agenda - no backdoor attempt to recreate
the former Yugoslavia," Patten said.
He advised Zagreb to do more at home, however. It is necessary to
implement decisively refugee returns and to proceed with "economic
and institutional reform - the establishment of a genuinely free
economy, reforms of property law, the strengthening of the
independence of the judiciary and the protection of the rights of
minorities."
He urged serious reform of the media "with a real effort to create a
genuinely open and pluralistic media environment, living up to the
highest professional standards of impartiality and independence,
especially in television," and concluded that since 2000 "Croatia
has embarked on a new era in its relations with the European Union"
and won many friends in Europe.
(hina) ms