A law that can be changed a few days before joining the European Union can also be reinstated in its original form in a few days. Parliament is convening again, so there should be no difficulties in reinstating the law that was fully aligned with European regulations, Reding told reporters.
Asked to comment on criticism in Croatia that because of her party affiliation she had been more positive to the previous Croatian government, she said she could not respond to nonsense.
I can't respond to all the nonsense being said here and there, Reding said, wrongly adding that the negotiations to close the judiciary chapter during Croatia's EU entry talks were held under the incumbent Croatian government.
Croatia closed the accession negotiations on 30 June 2011 and held a parliamentary election the following autumn. The accession treaty was signed by outgoing Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor. Reding may have been referring to the period of pre-accession monitoring, after which she signed that Croatia was ready for EU membership.
I signed Chapter 23 with the incumbent, not the previous government. I signed and led the last round of the negotiations so that Croatia could join the EU with the incumbent, not the previous government. The decision not to impose the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification for Croatia was also made at that time, so that I don't understand what is being said, but of course, internal political reasons are not always very logical. One could also ask why I acted against Hungary, whose government is a member of the European People's Party family, said Reding.
Asked about a European Commission college meeting last Friday and if Croatian Commissioner Neven Mimica too had voted to activate the procedure envisaged by Article 39 of the accession treaty, she said the Commission usually did not vote but made decisions by agreement.
The case, which President Barroso, Commissioner Fuele and I presented, was so clear that it was given full backing from the college, she added.
Reding said the Commission would begin ten-day consultations with member countries this week, after which a decision will be made on the measures to be taken against Croatia unless it complies with the Commission's demands.
At the press conference at which she presented the Commission's measures for legal drugs, Reding answered several questions from foreign reporters about the issue of EAW enforcement in Croatia, reiterating everything the Commission recently said on the matter.
The college of commissioners last Friday fully supported the activation of Article 39 from Croatia's EU accession treaty, which will formally happen in the next few days unless Croatia takes measures to justify a reconsideration of the decision, Reding's spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said on Monday.
The procedure is being launched because Croatia, in the Commission's opinion, breached the EAW by adopting a law, dubbed Lex Perkovic, which limits EAW application to crimes committed after August 2002.