The meeting was chaired by Mrs. Marija Pejčinović-Burić, State Secretary for European integration in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia. Mr Pierre Mirel, Director in the European Commission Directorate General for Enlargement headed the European Commission delegation.
The meeting was held in a very positive and productive atmosphere. The two Parties of the Committee held an exchange of views on the latest advancement with regard to the political and economic criteria as well as on Croatia’s progress in alignment with the Community acquis. Reference was also made to the relevant priorities in the Accession Partnership. The European Commission referred to its recent Progress report of November 2006.
The Committee stressed the importance of the political criteria. While it welcomed certain progress in implementation of the judiciary and public administration reforms, and the Croatian government anti-corruption programme it also noted that there is considerable scope for further improvement on these issues. Committee welcomed full cooperation with ICTY. The need for further improvement of war crimes cases prosecuted in Croatia was also stressed. The progress was reviewed with regard to refugee return, minority rights and regional cooperation.
As regards economic criteria recent economic developments and structural reforms (public finance reform, further fiscal consolidation, pension, health and social benefit reform, debt management, enterprise restructuring and privatisation, business environment) were discussed.
The Committee reviewed progress with regard to the Implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and approximation with the acquis in negotiations chapters. In this regard it highlighted in particular the importance to make progress with regard to competition (state aid) and public procurement. It was stressed that the screening process which was carried out during the last year has already resulted with a very clear picture of the necessary alignment with the acquis in separate chapters as well as of the need to strengthen administrative capacities in parallel.
The general conclusion of the Stabilisation and Association Committee was that Croatia should continue on its road towards EU membership and with the overall reform process, in particular by fulfilling remaining obligations from the Stability and Association Agreement as well as the priorities from the Accession Partnership.
Background:
The Stabilisation and Association Committee is a joint body comprising representatives from the European Commission and the EU Member States, on one side, and representatives from the Government of Croatia, on the other.
The main task of the Stabilisation and Association Committee is to review the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, which had entered into force on 1 February 2005 and is a comprehensive agreement which provides the contractual framework for relations between the EU and Croatia during the pre-accession period. It establishes a political dialogue, provides for the creation of a free trade area by 2007 for industrial products and most agricultural products, foresees the approximation of Croatian legislation to the Community acquis, and wide-ranging cooperation in all areas of Community policies, including in the area of justice and home affairs.
Croatia as a candidate country benefits from all of the EU’s pre-accession instruments which will be in 2007 replaced by the new single Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). This programme replaces the CARDS Programme and the pre-accession programmes PHARE, ISPA and SAPARD. The IPA Programme will be opened to Croatia from 2007 until accession to the EU. These instruments help Croatia to prepare for future accession and lead to an increase in financial assistance. In 2007, the financial allocation for Croatia within IPA amounts to € 138.5 million.