Category: Politics

NFCA Meets With American Officials To Discuss IssuesS NFCANational Federation of Croatian Americans2401 Research Blvd, Suite 115Rockville, MD 20850———————————-Tel: (301) 208-6650Fax: (301) 208-6659 NFCA MEETS WITH AMERICAN GOVERNMENTAL OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS ISSUES…

  Interview with American Ambassador Okun  Interview by Jadranka Juresko-Kero in the Vecernji List, Zagreb April 15, 2006 translated from Vecernji List by Hilda M. FoleyAmerican Ambassador Herbert S. Okun speaks about…

  Croatia at odds with Brussels over fishing policy   21/03/2006Croatia’s plan to modernise its fishing fleet has run afoul of EU officials, who say it conflicts with rules governing fishing in…

  The Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina Conference Declaration  

W. Balkans countries to join CEFTA, Croatia won its case 09/03/2006 (Brussels, DTT-NET.COM)-The dispute between Croatia and the EU is expected to be resolved soon as all countries of the Western Balkans region are expected to join Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), a European body charged for regional cooperation said on Thursday. Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe ( SP for SEE), said in a statement today that authorities of Western Balkan countries and Moldova together with existing members of CEFTA and Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania are to meet in April and give a political boost to the new upgraded CEFTA agreement. “On 6 April, one of the Stability Pact’s long-standing objectives the creation of a single FTA in South Eastern Europe (SEE) –will receive a strong political boost. The Prime Ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and representatives of UNMIK (representing Kosovo) will meet in Bucharest at the invitation of the Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and the Special The Special Co-ordinator of the SP for SEE Erhard Busek to politically launch the negotiations to achieve the single FTA through the simultaneous enlargement and amendment of CEFTA, “ a statement of SP for SEE said. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, will also attend the meeting. The interest shown by other countries of the region to join CEFTA followed strong lobbing of Croatia in the regional capitals, amid Zagreb refusal in January to the European Commission suggestion that Western Balkan countries should establish a new free trade zone, and incorporate 31 bilateral agreements into single one. Croatia rejected the call of EC and argues that countries should join existing free trade agreement of CEFTA and avoid creating a new one. The strong rejections by Croatia have made the EU’s executive body and some of its member states to show flexibility and consider the CEFTA as an option for Western Balkan nations. EU officials have said that the 25 nation bloc has nothing against Western Balkans countries joining the CEFTA, but called for membership criteria to be softened as countries from the region are not members of World Trade Organisation. Croatian government (which chairs the CEFTA currently) has also called on Ukraine and Moldova to join the organisation and both countries have positively responded to Zagreb’s offer. Macedonia signed the membership agreement on 27 February. CEFTA is a multilateral agreement for creation of a free – trade zone by a gradual removal of duties for industrial goods, liberalization of trade for agricultural products, and free competition on the territories of the countries – members. As Bulgaria and Romania are to join the EU in January next year or at latest in January 2008, they are to walk out of the trade network with Balkan region and also from CEFTA. Earlier members of the organisation: Poland; Czech Republic, Slovakia; Hungary and Slovenia left as they joined the EU in May 2004. Current discussions between EC, SP for SEE and countries are focused on the changes necessary to be made at CEFTA related to accession of W. Balkans countries. “CEFTA membership originally stipulated that a member of CEFTA has to be a member of the World Trade Organisation and that it must have institutionalised relations with the EU. This would have ruled out several SEE countries/territories. This issue was resolved following the CEFTA meeting of Prime Ministers in November last year. Membership criteria are now inclusive but still demand high standards of trade policy.” reads the statement of SP for SEE. It also said that the procedures required to accede to CEFTA must be changed (simplify the procedures) so that there could be a simultaneous group enlargement and immediate amendment of the text in the course of 2006 (to meet the ministerial request). http://www.dtt-net.com/en/index.php?page=view-article&article=1192&CMSSESSID=d04c2671108e0dcdf120f15107a3912a

Croatia : Almost Joint Declaration Signed on Adriatic Euroregion Launch 14:54 – 07 February 2006 – Representatives of local authorities from six Adriatic countries signed in Venice a declaration on the launching of the Adriatic Euroregion aiming to strengthen economic development, security, social cohesion, and environmental protection in a region populated by 22 million people, Hina News Line agency reports. Representatives from Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro and Albania attended the conference. The Adriatic Euroregion will be formally launched after the six states’ regional representatives adopt the Euroregion’s statute estimated the procedure to be finalised in July. Ivan Jakovcic, head of the northern Croatian Adriatic County of Istria, was elected president of the Euroregion, which will be based in Pula, Croatia, but will also have an office in Brussels. Speaking of the significance of the declaration, Council of Europe Secretary-General Terry Davis said the Adriatic was rich in terms of history, culture, and natural resources, but had been burdened with wars throughout history adding that this was the reason it was necessary to draw lessons from that and build a better and safer future, notably through interregional cooperation. Jakovcic stated that without the Adriatic’s east coast there was no real or integral Europe. Slovenia did not sign the declaration because authorized representatives of its maritime municipalities did not attend the conference. The Adriatic Euroregion’s objectives include preservation of the stability of its regions, strengthening of social and economic cohesion, sustainable development, the advancement of agriculture, fisheries and tourism, and environmental protection. The Adriatic Euroregion will unite seven Italian regions, three Slovene maritime municipalities, seven Croatian counties, Bosnia’s Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Montenegro, and seven Albanian provinces. http://www.reporter.gr/fulltext_eng.cfm?id=60207145420

Croatia needs thousands of immigrants, daily says. (Op-ed: Is that so? How come that Croatian Diaspora is not aware of it? NB) 04.02.2006 Croatia needs 15,000 immigrants annually to preserve the present number of its population and the government is working hard on its plans to attract citizens of Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgarian newspaper Sega reports. The front page article entitled “Croatia Seeks Immigrants from Bulgaria” says that immigrants Croatia is interested in, should be aged below 40 and be well educated, referring to Yakov Gelo, member of the Croatian government’s Demographic Policy Council. The average salary in the country is 700 dollars, the newspaper adds. Source: AXIS INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS (AIA) http://www.southeasteurope.org/subpage.php?sub_site=2&id=16291&head=hl

Croatia Delivers Protest Note Over Assault On Diplomats In Belgrade Croatia delivered a protest note to Serbia and Montenegro on Thursday over a physical assault on two of its diplomats in Belgrade last night, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration said in a press release. Assistant Minister Damir Kusen handed the note to Ambassador Radivoje Cveticanin in which the Croatian side harshly protested against the assault and demanded a complete report on what was being done. Croatia said in the note it expected the perpetrators to be found and punished as soon as possible and wanted guarantees for the safety of the Croatian Embassy staff in Belgrade. Cveticanin expressed regret over the incident, voicing conviction that everything would be done to find and punish the culprits. The two diplomats were physically assaulted on Wednesday evening in the Senjak neighbourhood, where the residences of a number of diplomats are located, Serbian Interior Ministry spokeswoman Dragana Kajganic told Hina today. Deputy Ambassador Branislav Loncar and first secretary Boris Herceg were attacked as they were sitting in a car with diplomatic licence plates. Four persons lunged at the vehicle, with one of them smashing a window and hitting Herceg, who was in the driver’s seat and sustained light injuries. Police arrived shortly after the incident but the attackers had fled, said Kajganic, adding that an intensive search for them was under way. Speaking to the press in Budapest after a session of the Croatian and Hungarian governments, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said he assumed this was an isolated incident which had no other political implications. Friday , 27 January 2006 http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=25157

Gostovanje M. Ivanovica odvjetnika Ante Gotovine na www.hrvati-amac.com http://p078.ezboard.com/fhrvatiamacforumfrm51.showMessage?topicID=538.topic gdje mozete postavljati pitanja. darko.belovic@inet.hr

National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA) in Final Stage of H. Res. 529 Campaign Press Release December 9, 2005, Washington, DC: The National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA) is pressing forward with what will hopefully be the final stage of its campaign for approval of H. Res. 529. This Resolution is a “Sense of Congress” Resolution commending the Republic of Croatia for the progress it has made since the end of its victorious war for independence ten years ago, and the Resolution recommends she be given full membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at the earliest possible date. H. Res. 529 was introduced by Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe and Emerging Threats. It is co-sponsored by 34 Members of the House of Representatives, including Congressional Croatian Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives George Radanovich (R-CA) and Peter Visclosky (D-IN). Caucus Co-Chairs Radanovich and Visclosky were prime co-sponsors of H. Res. 529. Having been approved by unanimous consent in the House International Relations Committee (HIRC) on November 16, 2005, H. Res. 529 was moved to the House floor and had been tentatively scheduled for a vote this week, but it was deferred to next week due to scheduling considerations. In the interim, Croatian General Ante Gotovina was found in the Canary Islands by Spanish agents. This event necessitates a change in some of the language in H. Res. 529, and those amendments are currently being worked on in the Congress. In addition, the NFCA has been told that the U.S. State Department has informed the HIRC that it is dropping its opposition to H. Res. 529 due to the apprehension of the General. NFCA President Ed Andrus said today: “The finding of General Gotovina in Spain confirms the credibility of the Croatian government regarding their persistent assertions that he was not in the Republic of Croatia. The NFCA has in the past and will continue to strongly question the factual and legal basis for the indictment against him. We urge the entire Croatian and Croatian American communities to continue to work together to support his defense.” The NFCA’s Andrus continued and noted that “after complying with 626 demands of the International Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the Republic of Croatia deserves better treatment from the world community including the United States. The strong support for Croatia expressed by the U.S. Congress within H. Res. 529 should be just the beginning. NATO will find an excellent partner for peace and stability in South East Europe with the Republic of Croatia as a full member. She has shown great leadership among her neighbors in this potentially volatile region through her implementation of individual freedoms, democracy, and the rule of law.” The next order of business is to get H. Res. 529 approved by the full U.S. House of Representatives. It is expected to be scheduled for a House vote on Wednesday, December 14, 2005. “The NFCA, which has been at the forefront of this bill since its inception, must now pull out all the stops and re-energize our members and the entire Croatian American community to support this Resolution.” Andrus further requested: “All Croatian Americans should continue to help build the momentum that the NFCA has helped create on this Resolution. Please have your friends and families make contact with your Representatives in the Congress and let them know how much we want them to support this all-important H. Res. 529. We need all Congressional Members on board for a big win next week!” NFCA Headquarters: 1329 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Telephone: 202-331-2830. Web page address: www.nfcaonline.com . NFCA Government Relations Director Joe Foley can be contacted on 301-294-0937. NFCA Development Director Erik Milman can be reached at the NFCA Washington Office and via email: nfcahdq@verizon.net .

University of Zagreb to host EU Enlargement Conference The Faculty of Law at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, will host a conference on EU enlargement from Monday to Wednesday, Sept. 5-7 . 2005 The conference titled “The European Union: Past and Future Enlargements” is being organized by the University Association for Contemporary European Studies, based in the United Kingdom. A pre-conference day trip and welcome reception will be held on Sunday, Sept. 4. A sizable portion of the conference will focus on Croatia’s and the rest of Southeastern Europe’s EU aspirations. Featured speakers include Erhard Busek (Special Coordinator, Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe); Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic (Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration); Samuel Issacharoff (Columbia Law School); and Boris Vujcic (Croatian National Bank, Zagreb). For more information, visit www.uaces.org/zagreb.htm .

  Connor Vlakancic Candidate for US Senatwww.ConnorVlakancic.com Greetings to Croatian-Americans,Since my previous communications, I have gathered solid achievements in forwarding my deliverable to be elected the first Croatian-American US Senator. And from…

  Croatia in the New Millennium:Toward EU and NATO MembershipPrime Minister Dr. Ivo SanaderMediterranean Quarterly, Vol. 16, No. 1, Winter 2005Croatia has come a long way since independence in advancing social, democratic,…

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