"The fact is that there are problems in the implementation of the 2002 Constitutional Law on Ethnic Minorities' Rights," the SDF executive director, Ljubo Manojlovic, said during the presentation of the Forum's survey results at a round table discussion in Zagreb today.
Manojlovic said a high level of cultural autonomy of minorities had been granted, and their representation in local governments and funds was satisfactory, but there were still problems in the activation of ethnic minorities' local councils and in the employment of ethnic minorities' members in the state administration and in the judiciary.
The purpose of the survey was to give a diagnosis of the situation and propose some improvements, he said.
William Jeffers, the head of the Croatian branch of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which financed the SDF survey, said that Croatia had made considerable headway in the protection and promotion of minority rights but there was still much to do.
Success will be achieved, when in compliance with the Constitutional Law, equal opportunities are offered to minorities in employment and in expression of views through ethnic minorities' councils, the American said.
The head of the Croatian Government's Human Rights Office, Luka Madjeric, said the incumbent government had made a step forward in the enforcement of legislation in relation to ethnic minorities and that it was willing to cooperate with civil society organisations in this segment.
"Ethnic minorities are deeply interwoven in Croatian society and it is vital to protect their identity through integration rather than through segregation," Madjeric said.
The head of the expert team that conducted the survey, Davor Gjenero, said a societal climate for minorities was today considerably improved in comparison to previous years.
However, it remains to be seen how much this favourable situation impacted local authorities and areas of special state concern, he said, warning that political will is lacking for implementing positive discrimination when new public services are established.