Brussels, 17 December 2003. In the process for enlargement to the countries of south-east Europe, the European Union has laid down that the conclusion of the process of ratification of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement (ASA) is a necessary condition for the formal commencement of membership negotiations. According to well-informed sources, it seems that 13 of the 15 Member States are finalising the process of ratification of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement with Croatia, while the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have frozen the process because they claim that Croatia has not fully respected its commitments towards the International Criminal Court for Crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia (ICC).

Question from Olivier Dupuis, Member of the European Parliament, Radical, to the Commission:

"Is the Commission aware of this difference of opinion between 13 Member States on one hand and 2 Member States on the other, founded according to some sources on the question of Croatia’s respect of her commitments towards the ICC, and according to others on the will to link the membership of Croatia to that of other (or the other) countries of south-east Europe? Does the Commission believe that the recourse to a de facto suspension of the process of ratification of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement by two Member States is opportune? Does the Commission not agree that it should urge the Council to come to an immediate decision regarding Croatia’s compliance with the criteria of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement, committing the European Union and all its Member States and putting an end to time-wasting tactics?”

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