Many in the region are concerned over attempts to re-create some kind of Yugoslav federation. Yugoslavia was little more than a Serb racket
CROATIA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
by Brian Gallagher - 26 April 2002
Croatia and the EU have never had an easy relationship. The EU never wanted to recognise Croatia in the first place, and the current situation is that a political row has broken out in Croatia over Croatia's signing an agreement with the EU; it seems to have more to do with re-creating the former Yugoslavia than offering Croatia the chance to join the European Union. Such a policy has implications for both Croatia and the European Union. Should the EU be embarking on such an enterprise?
The EU had never liked former Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and his Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). The EU accused him of "authoritarianism", media control etc. Tudjman's democracy was hardly perfect - how could it be given the circumstances of war, occupation. But his "authoritarianism" was exaggerated. Some observers noted that in fact most of the press were against him and not for him.
The EU and others subsidised and supported anti-Tudjman press and politicians in order to oust him and his HDZ party. In 2000, due to to genuine unpopularity and Tudjman's death a new Social Democrat (ex-communist)/Liberal government was formed. Former top HDZ politician Stipe Mesic, who had fallen out with Tudjman and formed his own party became the president.
A new opportunity for Croatia both internationally and domestically was squandered however. The criticisms of Tudjman's regime such as authoritarianism, media control etc. soon became far more applicable to the current government. When the new government were elected, the opposition press overnight became the pro government press. Or rather supporting various factions ie President Mesic against Prime Minister Racan as in the case of Feral Tribune.
The Split based Slobodna Dalmacija was an exception. It was the only opposition daily - bizarrely it was owned by the state, due to a scandal under the previous government. It kept its line despite the changes. It ferociously attacked the government, the UN war crimes tribunal and the President. This is the sort of thing that is of course normal in a democracy. However, it was too much for the President and his supporters in the Press such as Feral Tribune and Nacional.
The President ran a campaign against the newspaper, calling it "fasisctoid" - it was nothing of the sort, certainly no more extreme than the Daily Mail. Eventually, in an act of blatant cronyism and censorship the government replaced the editors in April, resulting in a mass demonstration in Split. Now there is not much in the way of an opposition press in Croatia - a very unhealthy situation. Issues such as President Mesic's election funding - a mystery - are thus not adequately explored.
There have been other dubious incidents. Former HDZ minister Andrija Hebrang was barred from entering Australia - the reason given was that it might upset relations with another government. In other words the Croatian government requested he not be allowed entry - just in case, no doubt, he discussed the political situation in Croatia with Australia's sizeable Croat community.
A Croatian academic was called in by the police for a "talk"; he had published 1948 documents on a Yugoslav secret police investigation of prisoners that the still alive investigating officer claimed was false. The documents were entirely genuine; but it is disturbing how such people have influence and can have the police "talk" with people.
The Catholic church has criticised the government. The response has been an attempt to intimidate the church into silence by talk of right wing plots involving the church - as if communism had never disappeared. This is even taking the form of attempting to apply pressure by the government, apparently with EU help, complaining to the Vatican - who will no doubt so see straight through this.
All of this has gone unnoticed by western governments, NGO's human rights groups etc. for the simple reason that the government is regarded as "compliant" by the western powers - who also happen to fund many NGO's.
Another serious problem is the funding by the EU of "independent" media. Such media tend to support the EU's favoured politicians in the region. The recipients of this aid are often extreme left-wing individuals. The rabidly anti - HDZ (and some would argue, anti Croatia) pro-Mesic newspaper Feral Tribune - which unpleasantly singles out its enemies as "Shit of the Week" is perhaps the most obvious example of this, having previously received EU funds. Its journalists are bizarrely quoted as "independent" in the western media - no mention is made of their political views or their ultimate funders.
It is not only internal; the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in London is in part funded by the EU, and Feral journalists crop again in writing articles - a recent example being a skewed piece on the aforementioned anti-church activities, focusing on Government attempts to threaten the church into silence by changing its favourable tax status. Instead of condemning this attack on "turbulent priests", this particular article appeared to approve of it! On the serious issue of the Slobodna scandal, the IWPR had nothing to say.
IWPR, when covering Croatian affairs often attacks the HDZ or the Catholic church in this case as being fascistic, or sympathetic to fascism.
Such rhetoric of course was used by Slobodan Milosevic and his cronies to justify the destruction of Vukovar, the bombardment of Dubrovnik and various other war crimes. Its use by IWPR is thus disturbing.
Such reports are read by the BBC and other western news organisations and become "received wisdoms".
Feral Tribune and the IWPR are just two examples of EU subsidy to favoured journalistic outlets; there are many others.
Recently, the Croatian government has signed an agreement with Europe - the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) The SAA applies only to the ex-Yugoslav republics - minus Slovenia, plus Albania. Macedonia has already signed such an agreement.
It is touted as Croatia's first step towards the European Union. In fact it seems designed to keep Croatia and the other countries of the region out. Worse, it appears to be an attempt to re-create the former Yugoslavia.
It should be explained that many in the region are concerned over attempts to re-create some kind of Yugoslav federation. Yugoslavia was little more than a Serb racket; completely different countries were forced together under Serbian hegemony, and for Croatia it meant near colonisation by the Serbs including the creaming off of tourist profits to the Serbs, suppression of the Croatian language in favour of "Serbo-Croat" - Serbian - and most of the top posts going to Serbs.
So it has come as a bit of shock for many that Articles 11-14 - "Regional Cooperation" - of the agreement appears to bind the SAA countries into some kind of federation. These provisions demand that Croatia creates 'bilateral' links with the other SAA states. These include areas such as political dialogue, a free trade area, mutual concessions concerning the movement of workers and capital as well as other areas not covered in the agreement 'notably' the field of justice and home affairs. How ever you look at it, put together that makes a federation. What is also disturbing is the coercive element. Croatia must make those agreements with the other SAA states within two years of those states concluding their SAA agreements with the EU - or all relations with the EU cease. EU External Relations commissioner Chris Patten has claimed there is no plan to recreate Yugoslavia, and Croatia is not part of a regional plan. Quite apart from Articles 11-14 contradicting him, his own comments at a recent speech spoke of "re-connecting the ties that bind peoples of the region together" and of the countries establishing ''a network of close contractual relations among themselves". "This is more than a bilateral process" he said.
Croatia is broke; but it is an economic oasis compared with Albania and Serbia. When movement of workers and other provisions kick in, Croatia will no doubt one way illegal immigration problems, problems which may no doubt concern the EU sufficiently enough to keep Croatia out of the EU. We all know how much of the press treats such issues - and how politicians react to them. Certainly one cannot imagine the EU signing 'movement of workers' agreements with Albania; why then force it on Croatia?
Should the EU be embarking on an enterprise of effectively creating - by sleight of hand and coercion - some kind of "West Balkans" federation? Imperialism, colonialism... whatever one calls it the EU SAA project is neither liberal nor democratic. And is propping up unpopular governments in Croatia - and elsewhere - a good idea? Especially when it involves attacks on the church and a blind eye to press censorship? What are the long term effects, the implications for the future? The path ahead could be disturbing indeed.
But there is a different approach. Firstly, all funding, assistance etc. for "independent" media and favoured political parties in Croatia should cease. Politics and media must develop naturally, even if that means the return of the HDZ to power. Electorates must not fear the wrath of the EU if they want to vote for a particular party.
Further, the whole SAA approach should be jettisoned. It should be replaced by an individual approach, not tying Croatia's - or any other country's fate - to any regional plan.
One constructive idea put forward by Vitomir Miles Raguz, the former Bosnia-Hercegovnia ambassador to the EU and NATO is to extend the European Economic Area to the countries of South East Europe, prior to eventual accession to the European Union. Suitably augmented, to cover concerns such as movement of labour, such an approach could work.
An EU approach to Croatia such as that employed for Poland, Slovenia etc. could pay dividends in future; a regional approach could produce something else again. We all know how the last regional plan fared - it was called Yugoslavia.
© Brian Gallagher