Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Croatian Sabor National Committee Chairperson Presents Croatian EU Accession Process Experience

Yesterday, the Chairperson of the National Committee of the Croatian Sabor in charge of monitoring Croatia’s accession negotiations with the European Union, Vesna Pusic, presented her country’s experiences in the process of approaching the European Union to her National Assembly colleagues.


Pusic shared experiences about the cooperation between the Sabor and European Parliament with the members of the Foreign Affairs and European Integrations Committees, the importance of the creation of the National Committee for Monitoring the Accession Negotiations for Croatia’s European integration process, as well as the importance of cooperation between the Sabor and national parliaments of EU member states.

Pusic stated that she hoped that Croatia had just completed the accession negotiations with the EU adding that the days to follow were important for the process of its European integrations. The European Commission sent an opinion on the completed negotiations on chapter 31, as well as an opinion on the remaining 4 open chapters, and the European Council was expected to decide whether Croatia had officially completed the negotiations process by the end of June. Pusic added that Croatia was not the most successful example of the Euro-integrations process, but that it had the most useful experience for Serbia as they came from the same region and faced the same obstacles and difficulties. The chapter on judiciary reform will in future be an integral part of aqui communitaire and surely the chapter that Serbia will also negotiate on, concluded Pusic. She advised her Serbian colleagues that in the process of Euro-integration and necessary reform it was best to do the work straightaway since only 5% of the negotiations pertain to foreign policy while 95% pertain to internal affairs. She also explained the work of the Croatian Sabor's National Committee founded in 2005 and which has so far made decisions important for the negotiations process and the country's negotiating position by consensus. The Committee's additional contribution was its foreign policy i.e. the Committee members' meetings with colleagues from the national parliaments of EU members states.

Following the address of the Croatian Sabor’s National Committee Chairperson, the members of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and European Integrations Committees were interested in issues relating to the manner in which the Committee overcame the obstacles in its operation, its administrative working capacities, budget at the Committee’s disposal, lobbying at the European Parliament and parliaments of EU member states, the right to veto at Committee sittings, anti-corruption efforts, as well as issues regarding the recent violence in Split and the upcoming referendum on Croatia’s accession to the European Union.

The meeting with the Croatian Sabor’s National Committee Chairperson was attended by the Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Prof. Dr Dragoljub Micunovic and Foreign Affairs and European Integrations Committee members Gordana Comic, Natasa Vuckovic, Radoslav Milovanovic, Dragomir Cimesa, Milan Stanimirovic and Jelena Trivan.


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friday, 29 march
  • 9.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Speaker’s Cabinet)

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