The ministry said it would take a position on the letter once it was informed with its entire content.
The statement recalled that the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) binds Croatia to effectively and purposefully apply Croatian legislation in connection with access to the Croatian real estate market for EU member states' citizens, the statement recalled.
In accordance with the SAA, Croatia approaches every foreign citizen equally, applying without discrimination the principle of reciprocity envisaged by Croatian laws, said the statement.
Italian citizens have been entitled to access the Croatian real estate market under certain conditions for years and without complaints from the Italian side, the ministry said, adding that now, on the Italian side's proposal, reciprocity was being checked by examining Italian legislation and practice.
The nondiscriminating and consistent application of reciprocity for citizens of some states means free access to the Croatian real estate market given that Croatian citizens enjoy equal rights in those states, the ministry recalled.
For citizens of other states the right to access depends on the meeting of certain conditions, the same ones which Croatian citizens must meet in those states if they want to buy real estate there, while citizens of a third group of states do not have the right to access the Croatian real estate market because Croatian citizens cannot do so in those states, the ministry said.
There is a fourth group of states with which reciprocity is being established given that there have been no requests from their citizens to buy real estate in Croatia and vice versa.
The ministry underlined that by applying reciprocity, as envisaged by Croatian legislation, Croatia fully honoured its international legal commitments from the SAA.
By consistently applying the reciprocity principle, which provides for equality and equal treatment between Croatian citizens and citizens of other states, including Italy, Croatia will ensure equal rights for Croatian citizens with regard to the right and conditions for accessing the real estate market in those states.