EU Warns Croatia: Sort the Corruption Out

Croatia continues to fulfill its commitments made during negotiations on EU membership and fulfill the political criteria. Croatian daily newspaper Jutarnji list reports that, that will be confirmed in a comprehensive monitoring report by the European Commission.

However, the report shows that in the last four months Croatia has not moved in addressing some of the key questions which the Commission had identified in an earlier report in June.

“Croatia has to ensure a strong system to prevent corruption in state-owned enterprises. The commission for the prevention of conflicts of interest should be made without delay. The concept of political accountability and zero tolerance for corruption must be intensified,” says the report.

The report shows that Croatia has until April 2013, when the European Commission is expected to publish the last monitoring report, to seriously work on the fulfillment of all conditions and deficiencies such as addressing the issue of conflict of interest, appointments to supervisory and management boards of public companies, continuing to reduce the number of pending cases before the courts, make public service more professional, accelerate the process of translation and translation verification and urgently implement structural reforms in the economy.

“Croatia continues to meet the political criteria in all areas covered by them, as well as the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities. Work has continued, and the results have become tangible,” says European Commission report.