The European Commission deeply regrets that Croatia did not respond to that urgent call and the fact that Croatia's national legislation was amended only a few days before accession to the European Union and that it is in contravention of the EU law on the European Arrest Warrant, which is not an unimportant matter, Andreeva told Hina on the phone.
She recalled that Commission Vice President and Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding had made that clear on several occasions.
Croatia's move means that several criminals suspected of the murder of Croatian emigrants in another European country during the communist regime can continue to hide behind Croatian borders, which is why Vice President Reding will inform the entire Commission about this matter next week and propose actions under Article 39 of Croatia's Accession Treaty, as she indicated in her letter to the Croatian minister of justice, said Andreeva.
Said article envisages appropriate measures, one of which could be withholding money from EU funds.
Andreeva said Reding would inform the Council of Justice Ministers about Croatia's breach of European legislation in October.
The European Commission gave Croatia until August 23 to say when it plans to align its EAW law to European legislation. Croatia passed said law, dubbed Lex Perkovic, in late June, limiting the application of the EAW to crimes committed after August 2002.
In a letter to Justice Minister Orsat Miljenic at the end of July, Reding wrote that what Croatia did on June 28 by amending said law was not in accordance with European legislation and that it should be corrected.