Parliamentary question

Written question to the European Commission

Numerous reports have emerged of human rights violations and atrocities allegedly committed by the Croatian police against migrants on the EU border, as well as various disturbing reports from NGOs and in the media that the Commission has yet to make progress with the announced monitoring mechanism intended to ensure that all measures applied at the EU’s external borders are proportionate and in full compliance with fundamental rights and EU asylum laws. Furthermore, recent reports and the disclosure of email exchanges in the Guardian media outlet accuse the Commission of a cover-up for withholding evidence of the Croatian Government’s alleged failure to supervise the police and its mismanagement of EU funds concerning the above monitoring mechanism, the establishment of which was a condition of receiving funds to strengthen Croatia’s borders with non-EU countries. It is stated that the Commission would caution against drawing misleading conclusions and has asked the Croatian authorities for clarifications regarding outstanding issues.

We expect full disclosure of the findings and demand full transparency. 

1. How has the Croatian Government used money earmarked for the border police and which specific organisations have received the funds?

2. Has the Commission received any information from monitoring mechanisms revealing the failure to supervise Croatian police compliance with asylum laws and human rights?

Answer given by Commissioner Johansson on behalf of the European Commission

According to the information in the final implementation report for the action ‘Technical monitoring border control activities’, the Croatian authorities spent EUR 87 567.72, of which EUR 78 810.94 in EU contribution from an emergency assistance grant.

More specifically, EUR 17 469.87 was spent on training activities by the Ministry of Interior, EUR 59 637.91 on cooperation/training with international and civil society organisations (including the Croatian Red Cross (EUR 19 048.74), the International Organisation for Migration (EUR 19 437.98), and the Croatian Law Centre (EUR 21 151.19)), and EUR 1 703.16 on the final roundtable organised by the Ministry of Interior.

The Commission takes any allegations of violence and human rights violations seriously. However, information received by the Commission does not indicate failures to supervise the compliance of the Croatian police with fundamental rights.