CONFERENCE ON CROATIA AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION BEING HELD IN ZAGREB

ZAGREB, Feb 20 (Hina) - A two-day international conference "Croatia and European Integration - Trade Unions and Political Parties - European Signposts" is taking place in Zagreb, being organised by the Brussels-based European Forum For Democracy and Solidarity and the Zagreb-based "A New Society". The co-organisers of the event are the Forum for Social Democracy (FSD) and the European Trade Unions Confederation. Opening the conference on Saturday, Ivica Racan, the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP), an FSD member, said the aspirations of European and Croatian democratic forces are in accord as they want a democratic pro-European Croatia. However, it is a paradox that Croatia is lagging in the process of European integration while most of political forces in the country want to help speed up Croatia's joining of the European institutions, Racan told the conference. He blamed the ruling policy for this situation as it (the ruling policy) believes that its chance is in the isolation of Croatia. In Croatia, the insufficient development is at variance with the increased social needs of the population, the SDP leader warned adding that it was, therefore, necessary for political parties and trade unions to cooperate. Commenting on this matter, the leader of the Federation of the Croatian Independent Trade Unions (SSSH), Davor Juric, pointed to good cooperation of the SSSH and the SDP on principles of complete independence and autonomous work. Parties with social democratic orientation and unions have the common interest in establishing and improving a socially-oriented market economy, the unionist said. He informed the conference that the SSSH had been integrated into the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the European Unions Confederation, an official social partner of the European Commission. Hannes Swoboda, a foreign affairs spokesman of Social Democrats who are MEPs (members of the European Parliament), also stressed that it was necessary that unions and social democrat parties work together on the establishment of a socially-directed market economy. Swoboda held that the PHARE programme should open for Croatia despite some contentious moves of the government. According to him, in 2015 Croatia will earn only 47 percent of the average per capita income of the European Union. The conference is continuing and will end on Sunday. (hina) ms