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(E) Letter to European Commission and answer
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6641/1/E-Letter-to-European-Commission-and-answer.html
By Nenad N. Bach
Published on 09/21/2003
 

Letter to European Commission and answer
 

Mr. Romano Prodi
President
European Commission July 22, 2003
Rue de la Loi 200
B1049 Bruxelles, Belgique

Excellency:

As Croatians in the Diaspora we follow closely the political and economic
developments in Croatia. Especially of interest to us is to see Croatia
admitted as an equal partner to the EU and NATO in the near future.
Therefore we find it very disappointing to read your recent speech in the
Croatian Parliament in which you mentioned "years" before Croatia would
be eligible for EU membership. The majority of the Croatian population
approves of Croatia's entering into the EU and we find the conditions
which you mentioned in order to be accepted inconsistent with ones' other
countries were required to meet.

You mention for example "the return of refugees". As you must realize,
Croatia has only recently come out of a brutal war of aggression by
Serbia, in which these Croatian Serb refugees were the ones who rebelled
against Croatia and with the help of the Yugoslav/Serb army killed some
twelve thousand and "ethnically cleansed" several hundred thousand
Croatians in their own country, destroying and plundering their homes and
properties.

No other country in the world has been forced to forgive and forget so
soon what has been done to it. May I remind you that the Czech Republic,
which is accepted into the EU, has not allowed its Sudeten German
refugees to return or compensate them for their material losses even
after more than fifty years. This was not a requirement by the EU for the
Czech Republic. Therefore, is it not obvious that the EU stand in regard
to Croatia and the refugee situation is quite unfair and inconsistent.
Furthermore, one has to realize that it was first the Croatians who were
driven out by the Serbs (1991-1995), years before in 1995 Croatia
liberated its Krajina territory and the Serbs left on the orders of their
own leadership.

Consequently, the returning long-time Croatian refugees must have
preference for housing. Since Serbs destroyed most of Croatians' homes,
out of necessity Croatians have been settling in some of the Serb ones'.
Croatia after the ravages of war simply does not have the money to build
homes for all the refugees, Croatian or Serb. This problem should be
understood by the EU and not held against Croatia.

The other great inconsistency is the requirement for Croatia to open its
borders without visa requirement to Serbia/Montenegro and
Bosnia-Herzegovina. If the EU wishes open borders between nations, why
has Slovenia, next in line for EU membership admittance, been allowed to
seal its borders with Croatia while Croatia must open its borders to its
recent aggressor Serbia? Certainly the EU leadership must know about the
huge criminal element in Serbia, Bosnia and Albania, with drugs, white
slavery and people smuggling among other criminal activities in addition
of providing easy access to terrorists and Islamic fundamentalists. Just
why would then the EU require Croatia to freely open its borders to be
inundated with such undesirables? Croatia does not want them or need them
any more than any other European country. Obviously, such an EU demand of
Croatia is totally unfair and detrimental.

Last but not least, Slovenia was part of former Yugoslavia and will be
accepted into the EU, on what grounds is Croatia less eligible? Slovenia
was never in history a state, while Croatia was one of the oldest
European kingdoms centuries ago. Croatia was never part of the Balkans as
the border was between Croatia and Serbia. It divided the Western culture
and Christianity from the Eastern Orthodox, Byzantine and Muslim culture
and religion. Croatia only became part of the Balkans when, without the
privilege of a vote, it was united with Serbia and Slovenia into
Yugoslavia in 1918. Croatians are simply not Balkan people, they are
Central and Mediterranean Europeans, historically and culturally.

Excellency, please consider these facts and do not let the EU push
Croatia into these Balkan associations to which it does not belong any
more than does Slovenia and which goes against the wishes of the Croatian
people.

Very truly yours,


Hilda Marija Foley
American Croatian Association
13272 Orange Knoll
Santa Ana, Ca. 92705 USA


(E) Letter to European Commission and answer

Letter to European Commission and answer
 

Mr. Romano Prodi
President
European Commission July 22, 2003
Rue de la Loi 200
B1049 Bruxelles, Belgique

Excellency:

As Croatians in the Diaspora we follow closely the political and economic
developments in Croatia. Especially of interest to us is to see Croatia
admitted as an equal partner to the EU and NATO in the near future.
Therefore we find it very disappointing to read your recent speech in the
Croatian Parliament in which you mentioned "years" before Croatia would
be eligible for EU membership. The majority of the Croatian population
approves of Croatia's entering into the EU and we find the conditions
which you mentioned in order to be accepted inconsistent with ones' other
countries were required to meet.

You mention for example "the return of refugees". As you must realize,
Croatia has only recently come out of a brutal war of aggression by
Serbia, in which these Croatian Serb refugees were the ones who rebelled
against Croatia and with the help of the Yugoslav/Serb army killed some
twelve thousand and "ethnically cleansed" several hundred thousand
Croatians in their own country, destroying and plundering their homes and
properties.

No other country in the world has been forced to forgive and forget so
soon what has been done to it. May I remind you that the Czech Republic,
which is accepted into the EU, has not allowed its Sudeten German
refugees to return or compensate them for their material losses even
after more than fifty years. This was not a requirement by the EU for the
Czech Republic. Therefore, is it not obvious that the EU stand in regard
to Croatia and the refugee situation is quite unfair and inconsistent.
Furthermore, one has to realize that it was first the Croatians who were
driven out by the Serbs (1991-1995), years before in 1995 Croatia
liberated its Krajina territory and the Serbs left on the orders of their
own leadership.

Consequently, the returning long-time Croatian refugees must have
preference for housing. Since Serbs destroyed most of Croatians' homes,
out of necessity Croatians have been settling in some of the Serb ones'.
Croatia after the ravages of war simply does not have the money to build
homes for all the refugees, Croatian or Serb. This problem should be
understood by the EU and not held against Croatia.

The other great inconsistency is the requirement for Croatia to open its
borders without visa requirement to Serbia/Montenegro and
Bosnia-Herzegovina. If the EU wishes open borders between nations, why
has Slovenia, next in line for EU membership admittance, been allowed to
seal its borders with Croatia while Croatia must open its borders to its
recent aggressor Serbia? Certainly the EU leadership must know about the
huge criminal element in Serbia, Bosnia and Albania, with drugs, white
slavery and people smuggling among other criminal activities in addition
of providing easy access to terrorists and Islamic fundamentalists. Just
why would then the EU require Croatia to freely open its borders to be
inundated with such undesirables? Croatia does not want them or need them
any more than any other European country. Obviously, such an EU demand of
Croatia is totally unfair and detrimental.

Last but not least, Slovenia was part of former Yugoslavia and will be
accepted into the EU, on what grounds is Croatia less eligible? Slovenia
was never in history a state, while Croatia was one of the oldest
European kingdoms centuries ago. Croatia was never part of the Balkans as
the border was between Croatia and Serbia. It divided the Western culture
and Christianity from the Eastern Orthodox, Byzantine and Muslim culture
and religion. Croatia only became part of the Balkans when, without the
privilege of a vote, it was united with Serbia and Slovenia into
Yugoslavia in 1918. Croatians are simply not Balkan people, they are
Central and Mediterranean Europeans, historically and culturally.

Excellency, please consider these facts and do not let the EU push
Croatia into these Balkan associations to which it does not belong any
more than does Slovenia and which goes against the wishes of the Croatian
people.

Very truly yours,


Hilda Marija Foley
American Croatian Association
13272 Orange Knoll
Santa Ana, Ca. 92705 USA