The Dutch Ambassador to Croatia, Stella Ronner Grubacic, said on Thursday she could not agree with statements made by members of the European Parliament that the rioting at the Gay Pride parade in Split this past weekend was an isolated incident, and confirmed that the Netherlands would request monitoring for Croatia to last from the moment the country completes its EU entry talks to the moment of its accession.
I would advise that those who think that this (the Split riots) was an isolated incident carefully consider reactions to the events in Split to see if this was merely an isolated incident, Ronner Grubacic said after meeting Croatian President Ivo Josipovic.
The Dutch ambassador made the statement when asked by reporters to comment on the statement by the European Parliament's rapporteur on Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, that riots such as those in Split occurred in all EU member countries and that it was unfair of representatives of the country where a negative attitude towards the EU was being created (Netherlands) to obstruct and criticise Croatia's accession.
Ronner Grubacic, who had previously said that the rioting in Split was the best proof that Croatia needed special monitoring, confirmed that her country would request that Croatia's compliance with its obligations be monitored in the period from the completion of its EU talks to its EU accession.
According to draft negotiating positions the European Commission forwarded to the European Council, the EC will follow the fulfilment of Croatia's obligations in the period between the completion of its EU entry talks and its admission to the EU through regular annual reports, while reports for the policy areas Judiciary and Fundamental Rights; Competition Policy; and Justice, Freedom and Security will be submitted every six months.
Ronner Grubacic said that she and President Josipovic were agreed that the EU is a community of shared values, including the right to non-disrimination and the freedom to protest.
Josipovic did not make any statements after the meeting.
Asked what she expected of the Gay Pride parade to be held in Zagreb on Saturday, the ambassador said that this was a hypothetical question and that she would leave it to Croatian authorities. She also would not speculate on how EU heads of state and government would respond at their forthcoming summit to the EC's recommendation that Croatia is ready for the completion of its EU talks.
Talks are under way among EU member countries based on the EC recommendation. We must wait for the outcome of those talks, the ambassador said.
