ZAGREB/STRASBOURG, March 31 (Hina) - The European Parliament held a plenary session on Wednesday at which it discussed recommendations to the European Council on Croatia's application for membership of the European Union. The matter
will be put to the vote on Thursday.
ZAGREB/STRASBOURG, March 31 (Hina) - The European Parliament held a
plenary session on Wednesday at which it discussed recommendations to
the European Council on Croatia's application for membership of the
European Union. The matter will be put to the vote on Thursday.#L#
The discussion focused on recommendations adopted by the European
Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee in Brussels on March 17. The
recommendations were drafted on the basis of a report by Socialist MP
Alexandros Baltas of Greece.
Baltas presented the draft recommendations to the European Parliament
today.
The 30-minute debate involved European Development and Humanitarian
Aid Commissioner Poul Nielson and representatives of important
parliamentary groups, who expressed support to Croatia's efforts to
join the EU.
Nielson said that at the moment the European Commission could not
comment on details of the Baltas report, but that it was monitoring
compliance with all criteria, particularly political ones. He added
that in the coming weeks the Commission would publish an opinion on
Croatia's eligibility for candidate status and starting talks on full
membership.
Although not binding, recommendations from the European Parliament are
taken into account by the European Commission in drafting an opinion,
or avis.
Doris Pack, a member of the European People's Party (EPP) and the head
of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Southeast
Europe, said that Croatia had made great progress which was visible at
every step. She reiterated that Croatia should not be hostage to the
still unresolved case of fugitive general Ante Gotovina, who is wanted
by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. She described Croatia's
proclamation of an ecological and fishing zone in the Adriatic Sea as
unnecessary.
Michl Ebner of the EPP said that Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
had done a lot for national minorities and in creating a positive
atmosphere for the co-existence of different ethnic groups. He said
that the Commission should publish an avis as soon as possible.
The debate also involved Socialist MP Johannes Swoboda and Liberals
Paavo Varyrynen and Demetrio Volcic.
The Foreign Affairs Committee said in its document that "the
application for membership in the European Union represents a
challenge to Croatia to which it is ready to respond" and that "a
positive response to the application would be of great significance to
other countries in Southeast Europe".
The document stressed the need for Croatia to further encourage the
process of return of refugees, improve its cooperation with the Hague
tribunal, promote dialogue with neighbouring countries and be prepared
for a compromise regarding the ecological and fishing zone.
The document also stressed the importance of freedom and independence
of the media and urged Croatian authorities to pass legal provisions
to remove the possibility of political interference in the work of
Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) and to ensure that the national
broadcaster fully adjusted to European standards. It also called for
judicial reform and the continuation of the fight against corruption
and of economic and structural reforms.
The Foreign Affairs Committee said that Croatia had initiated economic
and political reforms with a view to democratising the country and
modernising its economy, and that the results it had achieved in the
economic sector gave reason for optimism. It also said that
substantial progress had been made in adjusting Croatian legislation
to that of the European Union.
(Hina) vm sb