CROATIA SHOULD BE GRANTED ACCESS TO PHARE PROGRAMME - PACK

( Editorial: --> 9075 ) BRUSSELS, Oct 16 (Hina) - The European Commission (EC) will continue to closely monitor the situation in Croatia in the next six months, EC official Mary-Teresa Moran told Croatian reporters in Brussels on Friday. The EC has drafted its regular six-month report on the situation in southeastern Europe, but the final version will only be publicly available after being adopted by the European Union (EU) Council of Foreign Ministers on November 9, said Moran, who works in the EC department for relations with countries of SE Europe. Asked when the PHARE programme will be available to Croatia, she told Croatian reporters that Croatia first had to comply with the conditions set before it, including the refugee return, a changed electoral law, media freedom, and compliance with the Dayton peace agreement. With regard to a donors' conference on Croatia's reconstruction and development, scheduled for December, Moran said the EU would participate if an acceptable reconstruction plan was completed one month before the date of the conference. Explaining the regional approach, Moran said the EC treats every country as a separate entity, based on whether it complies with conditions for European integration. In this context no country can block the progress of another, she said. Croatia's reporters also exchanged opinions with EC officials on the situation in Croatia, its efforts to access the EU, and freedom of the media. The chairwoman of the European parliament's committee for relations with SE Europe Doris Pack acquainted them with the situation in Croatia. Speaking on her behalf, Pack said Croatia should be granted access to the PHARE programme due to the steps it had made towards European integration. Pack thinks punishments and threats are not always productive. She also commented on this week's resignation of Croatia's Defence Minister Andrija Hebrang, saying good reasons must have been behind it. Pack believed that with his resignation, Hebrang wanted to point out to some problems in Croatian politics which have to be resolved. She said her wish was to see Croatia in Europe as soon as possible. (hina) ha 161953 MET oct 98