"The Commission remains confident that the Croatian authorities will comply with their national and international commitments, in particular, among others, the application of the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities as well as of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages by its Member States, which Croatia has ratified," said spokesman Christian Wigand.
He was commenting on Hina's query about changes to the statute of the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar which cancelled Cyrillic signs on town institutions. Vukovar has a sizable Serb community.
"Respect for linguistic and cultural diversity is one of the cornerstones of the European Union... However, national language policies, including bilingual public signs, are not regulated by EU law and remain within the jurisdiction of each Member State," Wigand said.
The HDZ-led majority in the Vukovar Town Council on August 17 amended the town statute under which bilingual public signs are not envisaged until further notice. This move dissatisfied the local Serb national minority and elicited strong criticism from Belgrade, which said that it would notify European and international institutions.
Wigand said "any discrimination on the basis of membership of a national minority is explicitly prohibited in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union which applies whenever EU countries implement EU law. The Commission ensures that fundamental rights and non-discrimination are respected when EU law is implemented."