Regarding the articles on the Italian citizens’ access to the Croatian real estate market saying that the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini sent a letter to EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn

The MFAEI wishes to remind that the Stabilisation and Association Agreement binds Croatia to an efficient and purposeful implementation of the Croatian legislature when it comes to EU citizens’ access to the Croatian real estate market. It is precisely in accordance with the said agreement that Croatia is treating every foreign citizen equally, indiscriminately applying the reciprocity principle prescribed by the Croatian law.

For years the Italian citizens have had access to the Croatian real estate market under certain conditions, with no objections from the Italian side. Currently ongoing, at the Italian side’s proposal, is the examination and precise determination of the reciprocity’s content by examining the Italian law and practice.

The MFAEI wishes to remind that the indiscriminate and consistent implementation of the reciprocity as regards certain countries’ citizens means free access to the Croatian real estate market, since the Croatian citizens in those countries have equal rights. For the citizens of other countries that means the right of access under certain conditions – the same conditions the Croatian citizens in those countries must meet if they want to buy real estate, and for the citizens of third countries that means no access to the Croatian real estate market, since the Croatian citizens in those countries have no right to acquire real estate. There is also a special group of countries with whom the reciprocity is yet to be determined since there were no prior requests by their citizens to buy real estate, so there was no need to examine the content of the law and practice of those countries towards the Croatian citizens.

The MFAEI wishes to point out that it is precisely through the implementation of the reciprocity that Croatia, as stipulated by the Croatian law, is fully meeting the international legal obligations stemming from the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.

Through a consistent implementation of the reciprocity principle that guarantees the equality and equal treatment among the Croatian citizens and the citizens of certain other countries, including Italy, the Republic of Croatia will ensure equal rights for the Croatian citizens in those countries concerning the right and conditions for accessing the real estate market.