"The laws and institutional framework in Croatia are very good, but that does not mean much if they fail to prevent the violation of human rights," Human Rights Centre director Tin Gazivoda told reporters on Tuesday.
Human rights are one of the key political requirements for admission to the EU, and in Croatia's case this refers to respect for minority rights, prosecution of war crimes and prevention of discrimination.
The survey by the Human Rights Centre identifies areas with big gaps between rather good legislation and practice, and areas which still need legislative adjustment, which primarily refers to the fight against discrimination and free legal aid, Gazivoda said.
The impact of the process of integration with the EU on human rights in Croatia can be observed at three levels - legislative adjustment; reforms, strategies and national programs for the protection of human rights; and implementation, said Jagoda Novak, who conducted the survey.
The basic problem identified by the survey is implementation - the issue of successful and efficient application of standards and government programs, which requires a thorough reform of the judiciary and public administration, the Human Rights Centre concluded.
Novak also called for providing citizens with more information on Croatia's EU membership negotiations and greater involvement of the nongovernmental sector in the process of negotiation.