CROATIAFOCUS COMMENT

EUROPEAN STANDARDS

by Brian Gallagher - 24 November 2002

 

There has been much talk over Croatia reaching "European Standards" recently. Remarks made by the European Commission ambassador in Zagreb, Jacques Wunnenburger, have created debate on the matter. The EU office in Zagreb had to "clarify" what he said.

Mr Wunnenburger appeared to have said that because of EU internal matters such as enlargement and the proposed constitution that now is not the best time for Croatia to apply for EU candidacy. He also referred to General Bobetko. In response to a question, he said "unfortunately, the impression remains that the Government would comply only under international pressure, whilst we in the EU would expect Croatia to comply for the own sake and adherence to EU standards and values".

Bobetko should not be used as a scapegoat for Croatia's lack of progress to the EU. Nor should the threat of sanctions be talked up; after all, Serb transgressions are far worse than anything Croatia has supposedly done. And nothing much happens to Serbia.

The truth is the EU does not want Croatia or any of the "West Balkan" states joining any time soon. Wunnenburger was at least trying to be truthful in his remarks on enlargement. Croatia needs to understand the implications of EU expansion on its relations with the EU.

As for the "European standards" Wunnenburger mentions, let us define them:

The EU standing by - and giving the green light to Milosevic - whilst Serbia destroyed Vukovar, attacking Dubrovnik and then Sarajevo, Srebrenica.

EU troops not arresting Radovan Karadzic and others in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

And then we have a Serbian spy revealing in the Milosevic trial that the European Community Monitoring Mission (ECMM) was riddled with people working for him.

ECMM people were thus working for Milosevic's criminal enterprise of a Greater Serbia. Does the European Union immediately announce that it will investigate and firmly punish these spies? No, nothing. Investigating complicity in war crimes is something the EU demands of others - well, Croatia - but certainly not of itself.

Those are "European standards".

Perhaps Croatia's problem is that its standards are too high for the European Union?

 

© Brian Gallagher