EPP Group Members of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee of the European Parliament have expressed their deep concern about the limitations foreseen by the Croatian Parliament to the law on judicial cooperation in criminal matters between Croatia and the other EU Member States.

Crimes committed prior to 7 August 2002, such as in the case of Josip Perković, a former Yugoslav intelligence agent who is suspected of having organised the assassination of the Croatian dissident Stjepan Đureković in Wolfratshausen, Germany, on June 1983, would therefore be under prejudice.

The attempt to ensure immunity for Croatian citizens from crime proceedings in EU Member States only days prior to Croatia's accession to the EU on 1 July, is extremely worrying and should be stopped. Ensuring a high level of judicial cooperation in criminal matters between EU Member States is of paramount importance in the fight against cross-border crime. This is a responsibility of all EU Member States.

EPP Group Vice-Chairman Manfred Weber together with the EPP Group Coordinator in the Civil Liberties Committee Véronique Mathieu-Houillon and MEPs Monica Macovei and Axel Voss urge the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, to ensure that the Croatian law on judicial cooperation in criminal matters with EU Member States strictly complies with all European requirements put forward by the European Commission.

They also call for full judicial cooperation with the German judicial authorities and with any Member States' judicial authorities for crimes perpetrated prior and after 7 August 2002.

For further information:

Manfred WEBER MEP, tel.: +32 (0)2 2845890

Véronique MATHIEU HOUILLON MEP, tel. : +32 (0)2 2845220

Monica Luisa MACOVEI MEP, tel.:+32 (0)2 2845225

Axel VOSS MEP, tel.: +32 (0)2 2845302

Eugen Sandu, EPP Group Press and Communications Service, tel.: +32 472 547584

Theodoros Georgitsopoulos, EPP Group Press and Communications Service, tel.:+32 475 750566

Note to the Editors

The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 269 Members and 3 Croatian Observer Members.