The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the decision by the Council on 3 October 2005 to open accession negotiations with Croatia,

–   having regard to the Croatia 2006 Progress Report, published by the Commission on 8 November 2006 (SEC(2006)1385),

–   having regard to the recommendations of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee of 3-4 October 2006,

–   having regard to the European Council's Presidency Conclusions of 14-15 December 2006,

–   having regard to its resolution of 13 December 2006 on the Commission's Communication on the Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2006-2007(1),

–   having regard to the recommendations of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee of 20 and 21 March 2007,

–   having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A6-0092/2007),

A.   whereas Croatia has continued to make good progress in terms of the political, economic and acquis criteria and should be congratulated on the important steps taken in many fields to adapt its legislation in the light of the screening exercise,

B.   whereas, provided that Croatia addresses the outstanding challenges and develops adequate administrative capacity, negotiations should continue at a sustained pace and should lead, as soon as all the criteria have been met and the negotiations are completed, to a timely accession of Croatia to the European Union,

C.   whereas Croatia should do its outmost to carry out the necessary reforms so that the negotiations can be concluded in time for the European Parliament to give its assent before the next EU parliamentary election in June 2009,

D.   whereas Croatia's accession prospects have a regional dimension since they are a tangible sign that, in accordance with the conclusions of the 2003 Thessaloniki European Council, the future of all Western Balkans countries really lies in the European Union, as confirmed in various resolutions of the European Parliament,

E.   whereas Croatia is expressly supporting the European aspirations of its neighbours,

F.   whereas lessons from past enlargements show that each country should be judged on its own merits, that the pace of accession negotiations should be dictated by effective compliance with the Copenhagen criteria and that the degree of compliance with such criteria should also determine the final date of accession,

G.   whereas the Treaty of Nice does not provide an adequate basis for further enlargements, and whereas the essential substance of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe should therefore enter into force by the end of 2008, in order to create the necessary conditions for future enlargements and enable the Union to work more effectively, more transparently and more democratically, this being a prerequisite for further enlargements; whereas, moreover, the Commission and the Council must work intensively on creating the necessary preconditions for enlargement–- and specifically for Croatia's accession to the EU,

H.   whereas responsibility for ensuring the European Union's capacity for further successful enlargement lies with the Union and not with the candidate countries,

I.   whereas the joint screening process was successfully completed in October 2006 and bilateral negotiations with Croatia could subsequently start on specific aspects of the acquis,

J.   whereas so far six different chapters of the acquis have been opened and two, concerning science and research and education and culture, have been provisionally closed,

K.   whereas the Commission has already made use of benchmarks in order to monitor progress by the Croatian authorities in crucial and sensitive areas such as competition policy, public procurement, the free movement of capital, justice, freedom and security, social policy and employment,

L.   whereas Croatia's efforts to meet the accession criteria need to be sustained and matched by effective implementation measures and adequate monitoring mechanisms,

M.   whereas a thorough reform of the public administration and the judiciary, together with the police, is central to, and a necessary condition for, achieving the standards required for EU accession,

N.   whereas a thorough and objective analysis of the region's recent history, true reconciliation between the different peoples and the establishment of good neighbourly relations can substantially contribute to a genuine European integration process,

O.   whereas the prosecution of war crimes and the reintegration of refugees and displaced persons are fundamental elements of the reconciliation process,

1.  Notes that Croatia has already made considerable progress on the way to EU accession;

2.  Considers, in line with the Commission's communication on Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2006-2007 (COM(2006)0649), that Croatia continues to meet the political criteria for accession and can be regarded as a functioning market economy that should be able to cope with competitive pressures and market forces within the Union in the medium term, provided that it vigorously implements its reform programme so as to remove the significant remaining weaknesses;

3.  Congratulates the Croatian authorities on the rapid progress made so far in accession negotiations, particularly in the adoption of key pieces of legislation in crucial areas such as public administration, the administration of courts and anti-corruption policy;

4.  Supports the government and opposition in their efforts, despite the forthcoming elections, to take necessary, albeit sometimes difficult decisions, particularly in the field of competition policy and state aid, and points out that those decisions will ultimately benefit all Croatian citizens;

5.  Asks the Croatian government to strengthen its capacity to implement laws transposed from the acquis communautaire into national legislation in all fields, especially in the area of the environment;

6.  In this regard, urges the Croatian authorities to take into due consideration the concerns raised by local communities and public opinion with regard to controversial industrial projects which might pose a threat to the environment or public health, and calls on them to set up a clear and transparent procedure whereby all stakeholders, and not merely investors, can be informed and consulted;

7.  Invites the Croatian government in this regard to fully respect and implement international documents such as the Aarhus Convention and to eventually ratify the Kyoto Protocol in accordance with the most recent EU environmental strategies;

8.  Is concerned by flagging public support for EU accession in Croatia and welcomes the fact that the Government and the opposition are joining forces in explaining to the public the economic, political, social and cultural benefits resulting from the accession process; calls on the Commission to intensify its own information activities concerning the above-mentioned benefits;

9.  Emphasises the need to implement rapidly and effectively the reforms adopted so far in order to further modernise Croatia and thereby to further strengthen and stabilise democracy and the social market economy; in this respect:

10.  Commends Croatia for the positive and leading role it plays in south-eastern Europe and welcomes in this respect the activities of the Croatian Government in its current capacity as Chairman-in-Office of the South-East European Cooperation Process; calls on Croatia and its neighbouring states to settle once and for all the unresolved border issues;

11.  Urges in particular both the Croatian and the Slovenian governments to exploit all the opportunities available in order to reach an agreement on all their pending border issues, taking into account the agreements reached so far and the conclusions of the European Council of 17-18 June 2004, and invites them to abstain from any unilateral action which might undermine such an agreement;

12.  Urges recourse to the good offices of a third party if solutions with the neighbouring countries cannot be found bilaterally to outstanding border disputes;

13.  Calls on the Commission to further encourage and support a broad-based truth and reconciliation process, in Croatia and throughout the Western Balkans, and to include other neighbouring countries when necessary; firmly believes that this process should involve civil society, political actors and cultural figures, and that it should lay the ground for lasting peace and stability in the region; considers that this reconciliation process must, in particular, target young people and that it should include a thorough review of school books and curricula for history studies;

14.  Encourages in this respect all efforts made by Croatian civil society to engage the public in debates and to raise public awareness about the recent past of the Western Balkans; stresses that Croatian non-governmental organisations are a fundamental and indispensable element of a genuine pluralistic society; calls on the Croatian Government to support education in the field of recent history that fosters mutual understanding;

15.  Calls on the new Member States to play an active role in Croatia's move towards accession, allowing Croatia to benefit from their experience of reforms;

16.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republic of Croatia.

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0568.