PM Plenkovic: Croatia has made good contribution to CoE in 20 years of its membership

In the 20 years of its membership in the Council of Europe Croatia has made a good contribution to the oldest European organisation that promotes democracy, human rights protection and the rule of law in Europe, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in Zagreb on Monday.

Croatia joined the Council of Europe in 1996, when its Danube region was still occupied, Plenkovic told reporters after a round table discussion organised on the occasion of that anniversary at the European House by the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry, the European Movement Croatia and the Diplomatic Academy.

Plenkovic said Croatia had made a significant contribution to the Council of Europe on the political, parliamentary and professional fronts, through activities of non-governmental organisations and local and regional authorities.
"Twenty years on, we can look back at our good contribution to that organisation, to its contribution to democratisation in Croatia, to a higher and stronger legal mechanism for the protection of human rights which many of our citizens sought before the European Court of Human Rights, and it is good that we are preparing for presidency over that organisation in 2018," said Plenkovic.

"Croatia has contributed significantly with its experience, notably with regard to its neighbours, which it has encouraged to meet those criteria; our experts have contributed significantly to the making of many conventions, notably those related to the fight against corruption," he said, stressing the importance of the work of Croatian parliamentarians in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Speaking about the human rights situation in Croatia, Plenkovic said that it was very good.

"The human rights situation in Croatia has been assessed as very good, but as in any other country, it can always be better, that is what corrective mechanisms at supra-national, international levels serve for, whether they be the Council of Europe, the European Union, the United Nations or special representatives in the OSCE," said Plenkovic.

"We must strive to ensure respect for our constitutional values in everyday practice and to make citizens feel very pleased about the way Croatia is organised and how it functions," said Plenkovic.

Text: (Hina) rml
 

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