Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register

World Video | Defence | Foreign Affairs | Natural Events | Trade | NZ in World News | NZ National News Video | NZ Regional News | Search

 

EU opens accession negotiations with Croatia

The European Union opens accession negotiations with Croatia

EU Member States decided in Luxemburg on 3 October to launch accession negotiations with Croatia. The opening of the accession negotiations was made possible by the assessment of the Council of Ministers that Croatia was fully cooperating with the International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) set up by the UN. This assessment by the Council was based on a report by the ICTY Chief Prosecutor Del Ponte which outlined the progress that Croatia had made over recent months.

Expressing his pleasure at the opening of negotiations, President Barroso said: “I am very pleased that accession negotiations with Croatia will start. I look forward to working closely with our Croatian partners on the many and varied issues which will inevitably come up in the negotiations.”

The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Mr. Olli Rehn, said: “I am very pleased that Croatia has responded positively to the need to fully cooperate with the Tribunal. In line with what I have said on many occasions, I am delighted that we have been able to decide on opening the negotiations as soon as this condition was met by Croatia: it goes without saying that Croatia must maintain this degree of cooperation with the Tribunal, leading to the resolution of the one remaining issue, namely, the location, arrest and transfer of General Ante Gotovina to the Hague.”

After the holding of the first Inter-Governmental Conference the next step will be to start examining with the Croatian authorities the EU acquis so as to see where the Croatian legal framework and administrative capacity need to be adapted so that Croatia can apply EU law as a Member State – the so-called “screening” exercise. This exercise, covering all 35 Chapters of the acquis, will take about a year to complete.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
World Headlines

 
UN News: Aid Access Is Key Priority

Among the key issues facing diplomats is securing the release of a reported 199 Israeli hostages, seized during the Hamas raid. “History is watching,” says Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. “This war was started by taking those hostages. Of course, there's a history between Palestinian people and the Israeli people, and I'm not denying any of that. But that act alone lit a fire, which can only be put out with the release of those hostages.” More


Save The Children: Four Earthquakes In a Week Leave Thousands Homeless

Families in western Afghanistan are reeling after a fourth earthquake hit Herat Province, crumbling buildings and forcing people to flee once again, with thousands now living in tents exposed to fierce winds and dust storms. The latest 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 30 km outside of Herat on Sunday, shattering communities still reeling from strong and shallow aftershocks. More

UN News: Nowhere To Go In Gaza

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said some 1.1M people would be expected to leave northern Gaza and that such a movement would be “impossible” without devastating humanitarian consequences and appeals for the order to be rescinded. The WHO joined the call for Israel to rescind the relocation order, which amounted to a “death sentence” for many. More


Access Now: Telecom Blackout In Gaza An Attack On Human Rights

By October 10, reports indicated that fixed-line internet, mobile data, SMS, telephone, and TV networks are all seriously compromised. With significant and increasing damage to the electrical grid, orders by the Israeli Ministry of Energy to stop supplying electricity and the last remaining power station now out of fuel, many are no longer able to charge devices that are essential to communicate and access information. More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.