ZAGREB/BRUSSELS, March 17 (Hina) - The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday adopted draft recommendations to the European Council on Croatia's European Union membership application.
ZAGREB/BRUSSELS, March 17 (Hina) - The European Parliament's Foreign
Affairs Committee on Wednesday adopted draft recommendations to the
European Council on Croatia's European Union membership application.#L#
The next step is a vote on the draft which the European Parliament is
expected to have at a plenary session later this month or at the
beginning of the next. Forty-two members of the Foreign Affairs
Committee voted for the draft while one was against. There were no
abstentions.
The draft recommendations were based on a report by Socialist MP
Alexandros Baltas of Greece.
The EU membership application represents a challenge for Croatia which
it is ready to respond to, the draft says and adds that a positive
answer to the application would have great significance for other
countries in Southeast Europe.
The document underlines that in recent years Croatia has launched
economic and political reforms with a view to democratising the
country and modernising the economy. Croatia's economic results are
optimistic and the headway made in adjusting domestic legislation to
Europe's is also considerable, the draft says.
Baltos, the European Parliament rapporteur on Croatia, said yesterday
the main message of his report was that membership negotiations with
Croatia should begin as soon as possible.
The Foreign Affairs Committee rejected an amendment by the Italian MP
of Slovene nationality, who wanted the draft recommendations to say
that the Croatian government's decision to proclaim an ecological and
fishing zone in the Adriatic Sea, despite a Slovenia-Croatia border
deal from 2001 and the possibility of a multilateral agreement being
signed by all Adriatic countries, gave rise to political tensions in
its relations with Slovenia and Italy.
The committee adopted an amendment urging the countries which have
still not ratified Croatia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement
with the EU to do so as soon as possible.
The draft calls on the European Council to consider increasing EU
assistance to the CARDS, PHARE, SAPARD, ISPA, Twinning and TAITEX
programmes by mobilising additional funds from the European Investment
Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other
financial institutions in order to encourage reforms and secure
funding for the infrastructure network in key sectors of the economy
and for refugee return.
Speaking of the key challenges before Croatia, the draft mentions
refugee return and cooperation with the war crimes tribunal in The
Hague and with neighbours.
The Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a verbal amendment by French MP
Philippe Morillon to applaud the new government's commitment to fully
cooperate with the Hague tribunal.
The draft recommendations also mention the freedom and independence of
the media and urge the authorities to adopt legislation on Croatian
Radio and Television which would eliminate the possibility of
political interference in its work and would fully adjust the national
broadcasting corporation to European standards.
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