EU REP TO ARRIVE IN CROATIA TO DISCUSS RAPPROCHEMENT TASK FORCE

ZAGREB, Oct 18 (Hina) - The head of the European Commission (EC) Directorate General for External Relations, Fabrizio Barbaso, will arrive in Croatia on Monday for a two-day visit to discuss with Croatian political forces conditions necessary for the establishment and functions of a task force which would be in charge of bringing Croatia and the European Union closer. According to a statement from the Office of EC's special envoy to Croatia, the task of Barbaso's visit of 18 and 19 October is "to consult with political forces in Croatia on the functions of the Consultative Task Force/CTF between the EU and Croatia and the conditions, which would be necessary for it to be established." The mandate of the CTF would be to assist in the rapprochement of Croatia and the EU. "The fact-finding visit does not mean that the CTF will be established in the near future. The European Commission will report back to the EU Council of Ministers, which will then decide on the follow-up to be given to this report," read the statement. The EU Council of Ministers announced in July the possibility of a joint Croatian-EU task force which would pave the way for the signing of a Croatian-EU agreement on stabilisation and association, on condition that Croatia meet several conditions. The political conditions the EU set before Croatia include a consensus between the ruling party and the opposition on electoral legislation, the return of Serb refugees, and progress in the democratisation of the media, primarily the national television. In September, the EU Council of Ministers evaluated that Croatia had not fulfilled its obligations, and concluded not to set up a consultative task force for the time being, but to send to Croatia a mission which would find whether there existed conditions for the establishment of the task force and what its functions would be. (hina) ha jn