They held informal consultations at the Directorate-General for Enlargement, presenting their assessments of the new government's work in the field of the judiciary and fundamental rights.
Jelena Berkovic of GONG noted positive steps in recent months, telling Croatian reporters the new government was more open than the previous ones to their rule of law initiatives, although the next months would show if the reforms were sustainable.
She said the situation in the media was "the worst in the last 20 years," not because of press freedoms but the crisis in the profession. She highlighted unclear ties between the media and other businesses, the lack of a national collective agreement in journalism, and the lack of a statute in most media.
Berkovic said the new government had a more transparent approach to legislative changes, but not in all cases, such as regarding amendments to the conflict of interest law and the law on the right to access information.
Speaking of war crimes trials and post-war issues, Vesna Terselic of the Documenta – Center for Dealing with the Past said the establishment of four specialised courts had expedited war crimes trials, but added that some questions remained unanswered, such as command responsibility for the crimes at Medacki Dzep and Lora.
Terselic said high litigation costs were one of the biggest problems faced by civilian war victims. She said the state claimed HRK 2 million in litigation costs but that it should write them off because those people could not pay them.
The latest cause of concern are demands that Serb returnees in western Slavonia return the money invested in the renovation of their houses if they do not reside in them permanently, said Terselic.
Platform 112 comprises 60 civil society organisations active in human rights protection, democratisation, peace-building, prevention of corruption, and protection of public resources, notably the environment.
In compiling its reports, the European Commission uses information from many sources, including NGOs.