Vice speaker of the Croatian Parliament Vladimir Seks and president of the National Board for EU Negotiations Vesna Pusic met with the delegation of the Swedish Parliament`s European Affairs Board and board president Anna Kinberg Batra, who are in an official visit to Croatia, the Croatian Parliament announces.

Support rule of law

Vladimir Seks expressed satisfaction with good bilateral relations and thanked Sweden for supporting Croatia on its European Union accession path.

The indicator of intense co-operation between Sweden and Croatia is the upcoming Croatia Summit 2009, which will be organised by both countries in July in Dubrovnik, Seks said.

Referring to Slovenia`s veto of Croatian EU accession talks, Seks pointed out that outstanding bilateral issues should not influence accession talks in any way, reminding of the fact that Slovenia accessed the European Union with an unsolved border dispute.

- Croatia powerfully supports the rule of law and in this light believes that Croatian-Slovene border dispute should be solved before the International Court of Justice in The Hague and that mediation, as proposed by the EC, should be based on international law – the vice president of the Croatian Parliament said.

Good and independent justice system is the most important thing

Swedish Parliament`s European Affairs Board president Anna Kinberg Batra pointed out that the Swedish Parliament includes “unanimous support of Croatia`s EU accession”. She added that they wish to discuss Croatia`s accession before Sweden takes over the Union presidency in the second half of the year. More so because both parties are interested in finalising negotiation talks before the end of year. International law and the initiative of the EC should be used to move the issue from its standstill.

Board president Vesna Pusic notified the guest from Sweden about the role and the way her board operates in Croatia’s EU accession process.

Kinberg Batra said that Sweden powerfully supports EU expansion and hopes that the key part of the negotiations would be concluded during Swedish presidency later this year. The guests were interested in reforms in Croatia, especially the justice system reform, the development of the civil sector and the return of refugees.

Pusic pointed out that good and independent justice system was the fundamental precondition for ending all other reforms, and singled out this process as the most important one for the Croatian society as a whole.