Pusić received Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal

The ministers stressed the importance of complying with the criteria from chapters 8 – Competition Policy, 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security, and especially 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights as a chapter crucial not only for the protection of human rights, but for the institution building and the strengthening of investment framework as well

Pusić presented the Croatian government’s activities, notably concerning the recent Croatia’s EU membership referendum and the bilateral arbitration agreement with Slovenia.

In regard to monitoring, the ministers stressed the importance of complying with the criteria from chapters 8 – Competition Policy, 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security, and especially 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights as a chapter crucial not only for the protection of human rights, but for the institution building and the strengthening of investment framework as well.

Rosenthal said compliance with criteria was being monitored, pointing out that the Netherlands’s motto had always been “strict and just”. He said his government would all apply all monitoring mechanisms to Croatia, notably regarding the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter, adding he expected the Accession Treaty to be ratified towards the end of the year, which would depend solely on the Dutch parliament.

Pusić said it was important to talk with European partners, especially during the monitoring period, adding that the Croatian and Dutch positions on the monitoring matched. She announced that she would send monitoring tables to Brussels by 15 March, as well a special report on the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter, while the European Commission’s monitoring report is expected in April.

The meeting also discussed the situation in Southeast Europe and the Southern Mediterranean. In that regard, Rosenthal and Pusić talked about including Croatia in a Dutch-Slovak initiative for Tunisia, which would consist of the transfer of Croatian experience in institution building in south Mediterranean countries caught up in the Arab Spring.

Pusić took the opportunity to invite her Dutch counterpart to attend this year’s Croatia Summit in Dubrovnik.

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