ABHaber,Avrupa Parlamentosu AP Dış İlişkiler Komisyonu’nda Komisyon Başkanı Gabriele Albertini tarafından kaleme alınan, Batı Balkan ülkeleri, İzlanda ve Türkiye hakkındaki karar taslağı ile Makedonya ve Hırvatistan raporlarını yayımlıyor:

AP'NİN BATI BALKANLAR İZLANDA VE TÜRKİYE KARAR TASLAĞI

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2009 - 2014

Session document

29.10.2009 B7-0000/2009

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

to wind up the debate on the statement by the Council and the Commission

pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure

on the Commission's 2009 enlargement strategy paper concerning the Western Balkan countries, Iceland and Turkey

Gabriele Albertini

on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

B7-0000/2009

European Parliament resolution on the Commission's 2009 enlargement strategy paper concerning the Western Balkan countries, Iceland and Turkey

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the communication from the Commission entitled ‘Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2009-2010’ (COM(2009)0533), and the accompanying 2009 Country Progress Reports,

– having regard to its resolutions of 16 March 2006 on the Commission's 2005 enlargement paper1, of 13 December 2006 on the Commission's Communication on the Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2006–20072, and of 10 July 2008 on the Commission's 2007 enlargement strategy paper3,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on the countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey,

– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas, on the basis of Article 49 of the EU Treaty, ‘[any] European State ... may apply to become a member of the Union’,

B. whereas the future of the Western Balkans lies with the European Union, as reaffirmed by the Thessaloniki European Council of 19-20 June 2003, the Brussels European Council of 15-16 June 2006 and subsequent summits; whereas all the existing commitments made to the south-east European countries should be honoured,

C. whereas Turkey has been a candidate country since 1999, Croatia since 2004 and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia since 2005; whereas Albania, Montenegro and Iceland have applied for membership of the Union and the Commission is in the process of evaluating the applications of Montenegro and Iceland; whereas Stabilisation and Association Agreements have been signed with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and with Serbia; and whereas the Commission has announced its intention to propose trade agreements and visa liberalisation for Kosovo in the medium term,

1. Remains strongly committed to the enlargement policy, which has proved to be one of the most successful of all EU policies; recalls that previous enlargements have contributed to an unprecedented extension of the area of peace, security and prosperity in Europe;

2. Emphasises that full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) constitutes a fundamental condition for the Western Balkans countries to make progress on the path to membership of the Union, but points out that, equally importantly, redress for war crimes should be seen by society in those countries as a vital step to bring justice to the victims and to facilitate regional reconciliation;

3. Calls on all the countries concerned to make every possible effort to resolve their disagreements with their neighbours in the early stages of the enlargement process; stresses, however, that such bilateral disputes should be resolved by the parties concerned and therefore should not constitute an obstacle for the countries on their way to membership of the Union;

4. Notes with concern the economic problems facing the Western Balkans region as a result of the financial crisis; welcomes the Commission’s willingness to provide extraordinary financial aid, such as macro-economic assistance and direct budget support; stresses that the situation is particularly difficult in view of high poverty and unemployment levels in some of the countries concerned; calls on the Commission and on the countries themselves to make every possible effort to mitigate the effects of the crisis, particularly on the most vulnerable members of society;

5. Underlines the importance of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans as an important condition for the enlargement process and at the same time as a vital element of the reconciliation process; moreover, recalls the benefits of such cooperation in terms of increased trade volumes, energy security, environmental policies and the fight against organised crime and trafficking; stresses that regional political and economic cooperation must include all the political players as well as civil society, in particular women's organisations, and should not be hampered by bilateral political problems; in this respect, calls on Serbia to demonstrate a constructive attitude towards Kosovo’s participation in regional trade and cooperation;

6. Calls on the countries in the region to make greater efforts to improve the situation of ethnic minorities, and in particular the Roma; emphasises that the Roma are frequently victims of discrimination, and that, in particular, their participation in the labour market and in the education systems should be greatly increased; in this regard, takes note of the bilaterally agreed readmission agreements concluded by the Western Balkan countries with the Member States, and calls on the countries concerned to step up their efforts to create appropriate social conditions and infrastructure in order to facilitate the reintegration of the Roma after their return; encourages the Member States to assist in these efforts;

7. Is of the opinion that, in order to maintain the support of EU citizens for further enlargement, it is crucial to present them with clear and comprehensive information on the benefits of this policy; calls on the Commission and the Member States to make efforts to that end; stresses, however, that, in order to be successful, information campaigns should be adequately funded;

8. Commends Croatia for its continued progress in meeting the criteria of accession to the Union as well as the obligations of membership; welcomes the bilateral agreement on resolving the border dispute with Slovenia, which has created the momentum to open all remaining chapters in the accession process; is confident that the accession negotiations can be concluded by mid-2010, provided that Croatia steps up its efforts by, inter alia, strengthening public administration, pursuing reform of the judiciary more resolutely, vigorously combating corruption and organised crime, ensuring the sustainability of refugee return and allowing the ICTY to have access to documents requested for use in war crime trials;

9. Congratulates the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on the progress achieved by that country since the last progress report, and in particular during the last few months; welcomes the fact that the country has fulfilled all the benchmarks for visa liberalisation, and expects that the visa-free regime will apply from 1 January 2010; notes with satisfaction that this progress has been acknowledged by the Commission, which has recommended the opening of accession negotiations with the country; calls on the Council to confirm the Commission’s recommendation at the summit to be held in December 2009 and to set a date for the beginning of negotiations;

10. Calls on the authorities of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to continue their efforts in the reform process, particularly in the fields of the reform of public administration and the judiciary, anti-corruption policy, women’s rights and inter-ethnic relations, including increasing the participation of minorities in public life and administration; moreover, in the spirit of good neighbourly relations, calls on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece to use the window of opportunity following the recent Greek elections and to find a mutually satisfactory solution to the name issue;

11. Notes that Turkey has made some progress towards meeting the Copenhagen political criteria; urges the Turkish Government and all parliamentary parties to establish consensus on key reforms; points out the crucial importance of a swift implementation of the judicial reform strategy for the functioning of the Turkish State and society; regrets the limited progress made in the area of freedom of expression and freedom of religion; deplores the continued non-fulfilment of commitments stemming from the Additional Protocol to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement; calls on the Turkish Government to contribute actively to the swift devising of a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus question; welcomes the efforts to resolve the Kurdish issue and encourages the Turkish Government to take concrete measures to address the situation of citizens of Kurdish origin; commends the diplomatic efforts made to normalise relations with Armenia and urges the Turkish Grand National Assembly to ratify the relevant protocols; calls on the Turkish Government to coordinate its foreign policy with the EU, in particular regarding Iran; regrets, however, that the NATO-EU strategic cooperation extending beyond the ‘Berlin plus’ arrangements continues to be blocked by Turkey's objections, which has negative consequences for the protection of the EU personnel deployed, and urges Turkey to set aside those objections as soon as possible;

12. Notes with satisfaction the progress made by Serbia, and in particular its unilateral implementation of the Interim Agreement; is of opinion that such unilateral implementation, carried out against the background of the financial crisis, shows that country's commitment to moving forward on the path to membership of the Union; therefore urges the Council to decide on the ratification of the Interim Agreement without delay; welcomes the signing of the police protocol by the Serbian authorities with EULEX and calls on Serbia to further step up its cooperation with EULEX, especially as regards EULEX's operations in northern Kosovo;

13. Expresses its dissatisfaction over the limited progress achieved by BiH as a potential candidate country on the path to membership of the Union; notes with growing concern the unstable political climate and the lack of a common vision shared by both entities, and condemns the use of inflammatory language, which can undermine the achievements in the process of inter-ethnic reconciliation and the functioning of State structures; encourages the Council to continue its efforts, with the support of the international community, to pursue a dialogue with political leaders in BiH in order to help that country and its peoples to remain on the path to European integration; welcomes the most recent joint diplomatic efforts by the Swedish Foreign Minister, the Enlargement Commissioner and the US Under-Secretary of State, but also recalls the necessity of involving parliamentarians and civil society more closely in sustaining a viable country;

14. Urges the Commission to start the visa dialogue with the Kosovo authorities as soon as possible as provided for in the progress report, with a view to defining a roadmap for visa liberalisation; expects the process of decentralisation to be concluded before the end of the year in order to meet the basic requirements of the Ahtisaari Plan; welcomes the achievement by EULEX of a full operational capability such as will enable it to fulfil its mandate of promoting the rule of law, public order and security in transparency and accountability throughout the whole of Kosovo and pave the way for Kosovo's integration in the Union;

15. Acknowledges the progress made by Albania and Montenegro since the last progress report, and encourages both countries to continue their efforts on the reform path; notes that both countries have applied for membership of the Union and that the Council has taken the decision to invite the Commission to prepare its opinion on Montenegro's application; commends Montenegro on its achievement, and encourages Albania to continue its efforts on the path of reform so that the Council can shortly be in a position to proceed with its application;

16. Welcomes Iceland's accession application and expects that, in view of that country’s high level of alignment with the acquis communautaire, Iceland should receive candidate status in the near future;

17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

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MAKEDONYA:

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2009 - 2014

Session document

4.11.2009 B7-0000/2009

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

to wind up the debate on the statement by the Commission

pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure

on the 2009 progress report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Zoran Thaler

on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

B7-0000/2009

European Parliament resolution on the 2009 progress report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of the Thessaloniki European Council of 19-20 June 2003, at which the promise was made to all Western Balkan states that they would join the European Union,

– having regard to the European Council decision of 16 December 2005 to grant the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia the status of candidate country for EU membership and to the Presidency Conclusions of the European Councils of 15-16 June 2006 and 14-15 December 2006,

– having regard to the 1995 interim agreement between the Hellenic Republic and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,

– having regard to the Commission's 2009 Progress Report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia of 14 October 2008 (SEC(2009)1335),

– having regard to the conclusions of the Sixth Meeting of the EU-former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Stabilisation and Association Council of 27 July 2009,

– having regard to the recommendations of the EU-former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee of 27-28 November 2008,

– having regard to the EU-former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia visa facilitation and readmission agreements of 18 September 2007 and the Commission's proposal for visa liberalisation,

– having regard to Council Decision 2008/212/EC of 18 February 2008 on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1,

– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the enlargement process is beneficial both for the acceding countries and for the European Union as a whole,

B. whereas the prospect of EU integration continues to positively influence the reforms in the Western Balkan region and helps to make it more stable, peaceful and prosperous,

C. whereas the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continues the reform process and will join the European Union as soon as that country fulfils all the Copenhagen criteria,

1. Commends the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on the progress achieved since the last progress report; notes with satisfaction that, on the basis of that progress, the Commission has recommended the opening of the accession negotiations; calls on the Council to confirm the Commission’s recommendation at the summit in December 2009 and expects the negotiations to begin in the near future;

Political developments

2. Welcomes the broad consensus between the government and opposition parties on the European vocation of the country; notes with satisfaction that this consensus and improved political dialogue have resulted in acceleration in the adoption of the laws on EU integration; stresses, however, the importance of their effective implementation;

3. Welcomes the good progress made by the country in the fight against corruption and in particular the adoption of the law on the financing of political parties; notes however that corruption, a common problem of the countries in the region, remains prevalent, and that further energetic efforts must be made in order to eradicate it;

4. Recalls that efficient parliaments, fulfilling their role as legislators and exercising oversight of governments' activities, are a foundation of democracy; in this respect, welcomes the adoption of the law on the country's parliament, which considerably improves its functioning; notes that there is a need to further improve the functioning of the Parliament and enhance the role of opposition, by amending the rules of procedure of parliament in line with European best practices; notes the recent boycott of the parliament by the Democratic Party of Albanians and calls on that party to pursue its political objectives through parliamentary work;

5. Commends the authorities on the conduct of the presidential and local elections, which constituted good progress as compared to the parliamentary elections held in 2008; notes with satisfaction that the elections fulfilled most international standards and calls on the government to swiftly implement the remaining OSCE/ODIHR recommendations; in this respect, underlines a number of reported cases of pressure on and intimidation of voters, in particular civil servants, which need to be addressed; welcomes the fact that some perpetrators of irregularities have been brought to justice and expects the remaining irregularities to be investigated and their perpetrators prosecuted;

6. Stresses the utmost importance of full implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, which is the cornerstone of inter-ethnic relations in the country; calls on all the communities to respect the sensitivities of other groups and in particular to refrain from using inflammatory language and provocative symbolism undermining the role of other ethnic groups; moreover, stresses the importance of education in the integration process and, in this respect, calls on the authorities to phase out the practice of ethnically separated shifts in schools;

7. Draws particular attention to the ongoing process of decentralisation, which is an important step contributing to better functioning of the country and to improving inter-ethnic relations; stresses that, in order to ensure the successful implementation of this process, the municipalities must be provided with sufficient funds to fulfil the new tasks;

8. Stresses that access to justice for the citizens is a vital element of the rule of law; welcomes, in this respect, the progress achieved in the field of the judiciary and the commitment of the government to continue with the reforms, as manifested, inter alia, by increasing funding for the courts and the Public Prosecutor's Office; calls on the authorities to further strengthen the independence of judges and assure their impartiality; notes that the backlog of court cases has decreased and encourages the authorities to further improve the efficiency of the system; moreover, calls for swift adoption of the law on legal aid;

9. Notes the progress achieved in reforming the functioning of the public administration in general and the adoption of the law on civil servants in particular; calls on the authorities to ensure compliance with the law by putting a stop to the practices of unlawful promotions and of hiring temporary staff outwith the scope of the law;

10. Calls on the authorities to further strengthen the independence and pluralism of the media by putting a stop to the political interference from any party and in particular from the government; underlines that media freedom is undermined by a lack of transparency and concentrated ownership in the media market;

11. Calls on the authorities to develop an anti-discrimination strategy; stresses the need for energetic efforts to improve the situation of women and children and to protect them from domestic violence; calls on the government to make further efforts to increase the currently limited participation of women in political life, manifested by the fact that none of the female mayoral candidates in the last elections has been elected; to this end, encourages the authorities to consider implementing a quota system, reserving a percentage of political positions and places on the election lists to women;

Economic and social situation

12. Is concerned that the impact of the financial crisis on the country will exacerbate the persistently high unemployment level and hamper the efforts to bring it down; stresses that the authorities should do their utmost to shield vulnerable groups within society as much as possible from the effects of the crisis;

13. Congratulates the country on its improved ranking in the latest World Bank report ‘Doing Business 2009’; however, points out that the procedures for registering businesses and protecting property rights have still not been sufficiently improved and that the education system is not sufficiently resourced to produce human resources needed for the development of the economy;

14. Notes the recent protest mounted by trade unions against proposed government changes to the Labour Law which could reduce workers' rights and freedoms; expresses serious concern over the status of workers, particularly female workers in the textile factories;

15. Considers that, although alignment of the legislation in the field of the environment is moderately advanced, implementation at the local level still needs to be considerably improved; reiterates its call for an effective monitoring of the quality and level of the water in the border lakes Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran;

16. Urges the authorities to start investing in the maintenance and upgrading of the railway network, which is, both ecologically and economically, a viable alternative to the road system; encourages the country to better integrate the transport system with all the neighbouring countries;

Regional issues

17. Congratulates the country on having fulfilled all the benchmarks for the visa liberalisation regime, which has resulted in the Commission's proposal to grant it a visa-free regime from 1 January 2010; commends the government for showing regional responsibility by offering the expertise of the key negotiator for visa negotiations to the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina;

18. Welcomes the country's participation in the EU civilian and military missions as well as its alignment with the majority of EU declarations and common positions; notes the recent agreement on the border demarcation with Kosovo;

19. Welcomes the new, more positive climate between the governments of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece following the recent elections in Greece; encourages the two countries to redouble their efforts at the highest level to find a mutually satisfactory solution to the name issue; notes with concern the use of historical arguments in the current debate, including the recent phenomenon of so-called "antiquisation", which risks increasing tensions with neighbours and creates new internal divisions;

20. Calls on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the neighbouring countries to contribute to a political culture based on mutual respect, understanding, trust and tolerance; in this regard, stresses the primary responsibility of the politicians and media;

21. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the government and parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

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HIRVATİSTAN:

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2009 - 2014

Session document

4.11.2009 B7-0000/2009

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

to wind up the debate on the statement by the Commission

pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure

on Croatia's progress report 2009

Hannes Swoboda

on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

B7-0000/2009

European Parliament resolution on Croatia's progress report 2009

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the decision adopted by the Council on 3 October 2005 to open accession negotiations with Croatia,

– having regard to its resolution of 12 March 2009 on the Croatia 2008 progress report1,

– having regard to the Croatia 2009 Progress Report, published by the Commission on 14 October 2009 (SEC(2009)1333)

– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the newly elected European Parliament is committed to promoting Croatia's accession to the European Union,

B. whereas Croatia's successful accession is a key to opening up the path to European integration for the rest of the Western Balkan region and whereas, therefore, the prospect of EU membership is a powerful incentive for political and economic reforms and strengthening peace and stability,

C. whereas Croatia has continued to make progress in nearly all areas despite the nine-month stalemate in the accession negotiations and in the face of the global economic crisis,

D. whereas the accession negotiations fell behind schedule due to the border dispute with Slovenia and the Commission's indicative roadmap for concluding the technical negotiations by the end of 2009 could not be met,

E. whereas the agreement reached on 11 September 2009 between the Prime Ministers of Slovenia and Croatia on the modalities for resolving their bilateral border dispute created the momentum to open all remaining chapters and move rapidly ahead in the accession negotiations,

F. whereas the Slovenian-Croatian arbitration agreement, which was signed in the presence of the EU Presidency on 4 November 2009, laid the foundations for fully resolving their border dispute in an atmosphere of mutual trust once the ratification procedure is completed by the parliaments of the two countries involved,

G. whereas the negotiations with Croatia could be concluded by mid-2010 provided that Croatia steps up its efforts by, inter alia, strengthening public administration, pursuing reform of the judiciary more resolutely, vigorously combating corruption and organised crime, ensuring the sustainability of refugee return and allowing the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to have access to documents requested for use in war crimes trials,

H. whereas a new Prime Minister was appointed on 7 July 2009 who is determined to maintain Croatia's commitment to EU accession and its reform agenda including economic reform, the fight against organised crime and corruption; whereas the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic policy has resigned; whereas, also, the immunity of the former Minister of Defence has been lifted as a sign of the government's political commitment to deal with all accusations of corruption in a transparent way,

General remarks

1. Commends Croatia for its continued progress in meeting the criteria governing accession to the Union as well as the obligations of membership; notes the concerted efforts made by Croatia in adopting the necessary legislation, transposing the acquis and carrying out reforms;

2. Is confident that Croatia will meet and overcome the considerable challenges remaining as regards the benchmarks set out in the negotiating chapters; points out that the country needs to pursue its reform efforts, in particular as regards the judiciary and public administration, the fight against corruption and organised crime, the promotion of minority rights including refugee return, the pursuit of war crimes trials, and allowing the ICTY access to documents; considers that Croatia must also make substantial further efforts in completing the restructuring of shipyards;

3. Despite the broad support for EU accession existing among political parties, is concerned that public support for EU membership is diminishing; notes that opinion polls suggest that the Croatian public remains less than enthusiastic about the EU, indicating that only one-third of the population consider EU accession to be beneficial; encourages the Croatian authorities and civil society to initiate more public discussions on EU membership and the consequences of accession to the Union;

Political criteria

4. Welcomes the progress achieved in implementing the programme of public administration reform for the period 2008-2011 and in pursuing efforts with a clear government commitment;

5. Underlines, however, that major weaknesses remain in administrative procedures as well as in the management and administrative capacities of relevant institutions; considers that more overall political attention should be paid to the strengthening of the civil service; notes that the process of depoliticising the public administration is still at an early stage and that the legal framework for establishing a professional and efficient civil service is not yet completed; points out that a new salary system is required and that there needs to be more delegation of decision-making responsibilities from managerial to civil servant level;

6. Notes that, whilst the political will exists to combat corruption on all levels, and whilst the legal framework for fighting corruption is in place, corruption remains widespread and the administrative capacities of state bodies, including the police and law enforcement authorities, continue to be insufficient; urges the relevant authorities to tackle corruption cases since these involve nearly all segments of society, economy and government, including a nexus of institutions operating primarily in the areas of health care, the judiciary, local government and business; is in particular concerned about cases of undue political influence over the judiciary; is pleased to note that the efforts of the Prime Minister and the government have been enhanced to combat corruption in state-owned companies, but considers that more has to be done to foster a culture of political accountability as regards corruption involving politicians;

7. Welcomes the significant legislative and institutional changes introduced to fight organised crime and is pleased with the new anti-mafia measures, which boost cooperation among authorities responsible for security; is particularly satisfied with the very good cooperation with the Bosnian and Serbian law enforcement authorities;

8. Is pleased with the legislative and institution-building actions taken in the crucial area of judicial reform and notes with satisfaction the improving efficiency and transparency within the judiciary as well as the diminishing backlog of cases;

9. Points out, however, that despite the progress made more resolute steps are required to reform the judiciary, which continues to labour under, inter alia, the heavy backlog of cases and the excessive length of court proceedings; points out that significant work remains to be done concerning the strengthening of judicial independence, the creation of a more transparent selection procedure for judges and prosecutors and more efficient enforcement of court rulings; considers that further efforts are needed to meet these challenges, in order also to avoid undermining citizens' confidence in the functioning of the judiciary and the rule of law; supports the legislative initiatives of the Ministry of Justice aimed at improving the nomination, selection and promotion of judges according to qualification and merit;

10. Takes note of the statement made by the Prosecutor of the ICTY before the United Nations Security Council on 4 June 2009, in which he indicated that the ICTY continued to receive adequate assistance from the Office of the Croatian State Prosecutor but that progress was limited in the investigation into the missing key military documents related to Operation Storm; once again urges the Government of Croatia to intensify its efforts rapidly to locate and provide these key documents to the Tribunal, and notes with satisfaction the setting-up of a special task force composed of independent experts and tasked with these investigations; supports the Croatian initiative of involving a third party in the work of this special task force;

11. Is pleased to note that Croatia continues to improve its record as regards the balanced and fair prosecution of war crimes, and that several indictments and trials of Croatians accused of war crimes occurred during the year; welcomes the instructions concerning war crimes issued by the Chief State Prosecutor to all offices, designed to ensure uniform practices regardless of the national origin of the suspect; notes, however, that many of the defendants tried during the year for war crimes were tried in absentia and that concerns remain, including as regards the conduct of proceedings in individual cases;

12. Notes that restitution of property seized during World War II and under the Communist regime has remained an issue, while acknowledging that progress has been made towards returning occupied private properties to their rightful owners, particularly as regards occupied agricultural land;

13. Is satisfied with the situation regarding press freedom but also notes that some political and commercial influence continued to be exerted over the media; urges the Croatian authorities to take resolute action against threats to reporters covering war crimes, corruption and organised crime cases, given that there have been instances of intimidation of journalists;

14. Is pleased that the frequency and gravity of violent incidents against ethnic Serbs diminished in most of the country and that police investigations have improved; welcomes the fact that upcoming changes to the Constitution are expected to recognise all minority groups in Croatia and that minority rights in the area of education have improved; is especially pleased to note the progress achieved in the inclusive education of Roma; calls on the Croatian authorities, however, to continue their efforts to combat discrimination against Roma and ethnic Serbs, primarily in the justice system, access to employment and housing; considers that Croatia needs to further encourage a spirit of tolerance and to take appropriate measures to protect those who may still be subject to threats or acts of intimidation;

15. Acknowledges the progress achieved in the field of refugee return but notes that refugees returning to the country as citizens of another former Yugoslav republic rather than as Croatian citizens continue to encounter obstacles in obtaining a permanent residence permit; notes that there are still a significant number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and calls on the authorities to take a more consistent approach to minority IDPs and compensation claims for lost occupancy and tenancy rights; is pleased, however, about the upcoming constitutional changes designed to facilitate extradition;

16. Draws attention to the need to address the shortcomings as regards persons with disabilities, in particular by tackling existing gaps in legislation, policy making and service delivery for the disabled, especially those with mental disabilities;

Economic criteria

17. Is pleased to note that Croatia is gradually recovering from the economic crisis and that its economic outlook is relatively positive despite rising unemployment; notes that macro-economic stability has been preserved, that a smaller current account deficit is now forecast, that external imbalances have narrowed and that the banking sector has remained sound; also notes that the perspective of EU accession has helped investors to retain confidence in the Croatian economy and has provided an anchor for economic policies in the recent turbulent period;

18. Calls on the Government, however, to address the existing structural weaknesses in the economy, which necessitate deeper and faster structural reforms as a precondition for sustainable economic growth; urges the state to reduce its strong redistributive role and to further limit state intervention in the economy, to stimulate employment by reviving the somewhat rigid labour market, to remove administrative barriers for enterprises and to cut subsidies to loss-making industries;

Assuming the obligations of EU membership

19. Is pleased to note that Croatia has improved its ability to take on the obligations of EU membership, with a good degree of alignment with the acquis communautaire in most sectors; however, encourages the Croatian authorities to further reinforce the administrative structures and institutional capacities necessary for the proper implementation of the acquis, so that the country may maximise the benefits of EU membership after accession;

20. Encourages Croatia to move forward with privatisation, to complete the programme of small-scale privatisation, including in the tourism sector, to proceed with restructuring in sensitive sectors such as agriculture, and to promote private-sector participation in infrastructure at national, regional and local level;

21. Takes note of the progress achieved with regard to, inter alia, the tendering of the shipyards in difficulty whilst calling on the Croatian authorities to maintain the efforts required in order to complete the restructuring of the shipyard industry;

22. Is satisfied that the necessary institutional set-up in the field of public procurement has been established, making the management of public procurement policy more coherent and coordinated; however, urges the Croatian authorities to further enhance the capacities of procuring entities so as to apply the public procurement legislation efficiently and transparently and in order to significantly reduce the risk of irregularities, including fraud, given that public procurement procedures remain a major source of corruption; calls on the Croatian authorities to take steps to improve scrutiny of the preparation and actual execution of contracts;

23. Notes with satisfaction the good overall progress achieved in financial control, particularly with regard to the legislation governing internal financial control, while pointing to the need to achieve more progress in the area of external audit by strengthening inter alia the legal framework for the independence of the State Audit Office; points out that the transparency of public finance is of crucial importance in combating corruption and improving the efficiency of public services, as it facilitates control over public authorities, which again has a positive impact on their responsibility to citizens;

24. Welcomes the progress made in the implementation of the IPA (Instrument for Pre-Accession) components, which prepare the country to manage the Structural Funds; calls on the Croatian authorities, nevertheless, to substantially increase administrative capacities in existing IPA structures so as to meet the regulatory and operational requirements of the EU's cohesion policy and to guarantee its funds absorption capacity, notably through the programming of the National Strategic Reference Framework and Operational Programmes for the Structural Funds;

25. Is satisfied with the achievements and progress made in the area of the environment, especially concerning air quality, climate change, industrial pollution control and risk management; urges Croatia to strengthen its administrative capacities at national and local level; calls not only for formal transposition but also for proper application of the EU acquis as regards nature protection and water management;

26. Points to the need to promote investment in energy infrastructure in order to improve security and diversity of energy supply and energy efficiency, and to introduce legislation to facilitate the development of the market for renewable energy;

Regional cooperation

27. Encourages Croatia to pursue efforts to achieve and maintain good neighbourly relations, to remain an important and proactive promoter of regional cooperation on all levels and to play a positive role in the region; nevertheless urges the Croatian government and the governments of the neighbouring countries to intensify their dialogue with a view to finding definite solutions to a number of outstanding bilateral issues, in particular as regards border demarcation, missing persons, property restitution and refugees as well as the extradition of citizens in cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity;

28. Recalls the arbitration agreement reached between the Prime Ministers of Slovenia and Croatia with a view to resolving their border dispute; welcomes the support given to the agreement by the Croatian Parliament and hopes that there will be widespread support for ratification in the parliaments of both of the countries concerned; in this respect, requests the Commission to establish a list of members of the arbitration tribunal, comprising only highly qualified professionals with a legal background and, as far as possible, experience in arbitration;

29. Underlines the need, in line with a key priority of the Accession Partnership, to enhance efforts to resolve all of Croatia's pending border issues with neighbouring countries; welcomes in this regard the progress achieved in the negotiations with Montenegro as well as the Croatian initiative to invite Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina for bilateral talks on border demarcation;

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30. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Government and Parliament of Croatia.