PARLIAMENT RATIFIES INTERIM AGREEMENT ON TRADE ISSUES WITH EU

ZAGREB, Dec 5 (Hina) - Apart from ratifying the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union, the Croatian parliament on Wednesday passed a law on the implementation of the SAA, and ratified an interim agreement on trade issues between Croatia and the EU. The SAA will be enforced after EU bodies and parliaments of EU member countries ratify it as well. The government has included a provision in an amendment to the law on the implementation of the SAA, whereby the parliament will discuss individual bilateral agreements which Croatia will be signing with countries in the region in line with the SAA. The law envisages that the parliament's opinion about each of these agreements will be binding for the government and negotiation teams. A conclusion was adopted at the proposal by the opposition's Democratic Centre (DC) party bench by which the European Integration Ministry is obliged to submit a report to the parliament on the implementation of the SAA twice a year. The ratified interim agreement on trade issues goes into force January 1, 2002, arranging trade relations with the EU until the SAA starts being implemented. Representatives of the opposition's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) and the Croatian Christian Democratic Union (HKDU) did not take part in the voting. Despite this, the bills were supported by the qualified majority of all MPs. (hina) np sb