I Would Give Blood to Slovenians, But Not Land

Parliament clubs adopted a report on the work of the National Committee for Monitoring Negotiations on Croatia’s Accession into the EU.

ZAGREB, CROATIA – Chairwoman of the Croatian parliament’s National Committee for Monitoring Negotiations on Croatia’s Accession into the European Union, Vesna Pusic (Croatian People’s Party, HNS), said there have been attempts to diminish the committee’s initiatives. 

- I think this is wrong because the national committee is an important instrument in the process of negotiations – Pusic said. She added this was a body that should mobilise the knowledge and capabilities of members of parliament despite which party they belong to. She stressed that now that the negotiation process is in crisis, the functions of the committee should be maximised and its potential used, not marginalise and smother it.

MP of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Frano Matusic, denied her claims, stressing that the committee’s members are members of parliament who would, by diminishing the initiative-taking of the committee, also diminish their own initiative-taking. His party colleague Marija Pejcinovic. Buric stressed that the initiative of the committee was at a high level, backing this up with the fact that the job the committee has done was more than merely monitoring negotiations.

Kajin warns of delays in joining the EU due to bad relations with Slovenia  

Milorad pupovac of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), however, claims that there had been attempts outside of parliament to restrict the committee’s thematic sessions. – No committee should be restricted its job outside of parliament – Pupovac warned, adding that the process of negotiations should not be restricted to people in the government and negotiation teams.

Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) used the discussion about the work of the committee to warn about delays in Croatia’s joining the EU due to bad relations with Slovenia.

- I would give blood to people from the other side of the border, but I will not give them land – Kajin said.