The UNHCR 3 April passed a recommendation on launching the procedure to annul the refugee status of persons who left Croatia between 199 and 1995, inviting all asylum countries to fully implement the recommendation and annul the status by end-2014.
Said recommendation, passed in accordance with the UNHCR statute and the provisions of the 1951 Refugee Convention, is based on the cessation of the circumstances that caused the displacement of persons as well as the permanent nature of the changes that occurred in Croatia. Even though the recommendation is not binding and each asylum country decides independently on its implementation, after said date the UNHCR will no longer consider those persons refugees.
During the talks on the legal framework of the Regional Housing Programme, Croatia defined that the right to return should not hinge on the refugee status, leaving the possibility of postponing the implementation of the recommendation, but no later than end-2017, so that the processes of local integration and voluntary repatriation could be completed. So far, 133,250 Serbian nationals have returned to Croatia. Apart from implementing the Regional Housing Programme, Croatia will continue to implement its own national programme, and in accordance with its legislature, international standards and financial abilities will offer all the necessary assistance so that each individual, regardless of their status, could make the best decision (on local integration of repatriation).
We are convinced that the UNHCR will launch an information campaign through its field offices so that each individual could make a decision, which is their right and the cornerstone of the Regional Programme, and so as to avoid making a wrong decision due to unchecked or false information.