State Secretary Pejčinović Burić headed Croatian delegation at preparatory meeting concerning EC Progress Report on Croatia

Apart from State Secretary Pejčinović Burić, the Croatian delegation consisted of the State Secretary at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning, Nikola Ružinski, State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice Snježana Bagić, representative of the Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Transport, and Development, representative of the Agency for Market Competition, and the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. The interdepartmental Croatian delegation met with Director General of the EC Enlargement DG Michael Leigh and other representatives of the European Commission. The meeting exchanged information on Croatia’s satisfying the EU membership criteria for the purposes of the Commission’s drawing up of the Progress Report on Croatia.

Director General Leigh expressed his satisfaction with the progress Croatia has made in meeting the EU membership criteria and reviewed the meeting of the political criteria, pointing out that additional effort needs to be put in justice reform, preventing corruption, and refugee return (the implementation of the Sarajevo Declaration). The Croatian delegation informed its collocutors about the concrete measures Croatia is taking in those fields, emphasising that it is marking a steady decrease in the number of lagging cases in all courts, a significant decrease in the number of unsolved cadastral cases, and an almost complete digitalisation of the land register. It also reported on the setting up of a special department within the Ministry of Justice to monitor the Action Plan for fighting corruption and presented the measures Croatia is taking in solving the refugee accommodation issue.

The EC representatives noted Croatia’s open bilateral issues with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Slovenia. The Croatian side reiterated its readiness for co-operation and open dialogue, pointing out that bilateral issues should not slow down the membership negotiations process.

The EC representatives also reviewed the implementation of the economic criteria and the criteria for assuming the membership obligations, stressing that significant progress has been made in implementing the economic criteria, as well as in the chapters on the economic and monetary union, intellectual property, customs, and the freedom of providing services and establishing a company. They pointed out that the need for additional progress in harmonising the legislature in the traditionally difficult chapters, such as market competition, environmental protection, transport, and financial services, and for the speeding up of the privatisation process.

State Secretary Pejčinović Burić thanked the EC representatives for a constructive dialogue and exchange of opinions, expressing hope for the continuation of a successful co-operation.