The Stabilisation and Association Council, a joint EU-Croatia body in charge of supervising the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, will hold its third meeting on Tuesday afternoon. The Croatian delegation will be led by Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic.
A draft document entitled "The Position of the European Union", which was made available to Hina, reads that "the EU reminds Croatia that the establishment of an independent, impartial, reliable, transparent and efficient judicial system is of the utmost importance and an essential condition for strengthening the rule of law and proper implementation of the acquis."
The document, prepared for the meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Council, reads that the implementation of the judicial reform strategy has begun and that some legislative measures have been taken. However, further legislative reform is required. The case backlog has been reduced, but it remains large, the document says.
"The Croatian judiciary suffers from severe shortcomings and there is considerable scope for further improvement, particularly in terms of reducing the excessive length of court proceedings, assuring proper and full execution of court rulings, rationalising the court network, introducing a comprehensive system of legal aid, reassessing the provisions of the immunity of judges and improving and making more objective and transparent procedures for the appointment (at all levels), training, evaluation, and disciplining of judicial officials so as to ensure their impartiality, independence and effectiveness."
The EU states that in addition to a functioning judicial system, "professional, accountable, transparent and independent public administration is an essential basis for the successful implementation of the acquis and it is of the utmost importance to all citizens as well as investors."
The EU therefore calls on Croatia to urgently step up the process of public administration reform, including depoliticisation provisions.
The draft document also urges continuing police reform and calls on Croatia to develop and implement a system of recruitment and control of police officers, as well as to adopt measures to fight corruption in the police.
As for corruption, the EU notes that "corruption remains a serious problem on which insufficient progress has been made. Progress on tackling this issue will be important in the context of assessing Croatia's readiness for eventual EU membership". The EU also notes that some action has been taken in implementing the anti-corruption program and strengthening the role of the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK).
"Full implementation of the (anti-corruption) program and strong political will to step up efforts are needed, especially on high-level corruption, as well as in fields such as public procurement."
As for cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the EU considers the cooperation full and urges its continuation.
"As regards prosecution of war crimes trials in Croatia itself, the EU notes that despite progress over the past year, further improvements are needed."
As for refugee return, "the EU welcomes the overall progress achieved as regards reconstruction and repossession of housing. However, the EU notes with concern the continued weak implementation of housing care programs for former tenancy rights holders wishing to return to Croatia, particularly outside the areas of special state concern, where implementation of these programs is only just over one percent."
With regard to minority rights, "the EU notes that further progress has been made... and welcomes in particular the great attention paid by the government to Roma questions. The EU also notes a reduction in apparently ethnically motivated crimes; at the same time, the EU calls on Croatia to ensure that when they occur, all such crimes are properly investigated and prosecuted."
One of the problems in the area of minority rights is the continued discrimination against the Serb minority in different areas of public life.
The EU underlines the importance of the role of civil society organisations in the promotion and protection of human rights and democracy. This role is yet to be fully recognised in Croatia. "In this context, the EU notes with concern the recent security checks on candidates for Council for Civil Society Development," reads the document.
As regards the media, the EU welcomes the abolition of a prison sentence for libel. It calls on Croatia to make further improvements to the legal and regulatory framework, including the creation of safeguards against political interference in the media as well as ensuring a broad civil society role in the relevant oversight bodies. The EU remains concerned at the scope for political influence in the media, including at the local level, reads the document.
As for the economy, the EU recalls that Croatia can be regarded as a functioning market economy. Stability-oriented macroeconomic policies have contributed to low inflation, exchange rate stability and an acceleration of growth.
Private investments have risen, unemployment has been reduced, gradual fiscal consolidation has continued, procedures for the registration of businesses have been simplified, the road infrastructure has been improved, and first measures have been taken to restructure the railway system, which is still making losses.
The Croatian economy is well integrated with that of the EU, the document says.
"However, significant and rising imbalances in the trade and current accounts and a high external debt imply potential risks to macroeconomic stability. A high level of current spending, including subsidies to loss- making enterprises, continues to burden the government budget," the document says.
The EU also notes that accession negotiations with Croatia have begun well and that first results have been obtained.