Croatia’s EU Membership submitted to improved collaboration with UN Yugoslavia Tribunal

The European Parliament’s (EP) Progress Report on Croatia requests the next possible EU accession country to cooperate better with the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The report, drafted by Austrian Socialist MEP Hannes Swoboda has been adopted by the EP’s Foreign Affairs Committee on 27.3.2007 and will be discussed by the plenary next Wednesday, 25.4.2007.

The report underlines the difficulties and hostilities of Zagreb’s authorities in dealing with the Court and their non-fulfillment in handling over important war criminals for prosecution. The Report officially stresses that «hostility at a local level, persisting bias amongst some of the judicial staff against non-nationals and insufficient protection of witnesses against intimidation» could thwart an effective prosecution of war criminals, making less smooth the country accession’s procedure to the EU by 2009.

Documents:

European Parliament, Report on Croatia’s 2006 Progress Report (2006/2288(INI)), Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rapporteur: Hannes Swoboda, 29/3/2007, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sidesSearch/sipadeMapUrl.do?PROG=REPORT&L=EN&SORT_ORDER=D&S_REF_A=%25&LEG_ID=6&COM_ID=808;

European Parliament, News-Headlines, «Croatia’s EU hopes: MEPs to vote in Strasbourg on state of play», External Relations, 17/4/2007,

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/030-5248-106-04-16-903-20070412STO05232-2007-16-04-2007/default_en.htm