13th and final meeting 18 June 2013, Zagreb FINAL REPORT issued by the two co-presidents, Mr Christoph Lechner and Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj

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1 13th and final meeting 18 June 2013, Zagreb FINAL REPORT issued by the two co-presidents, Mr Christoph Lechner and Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) represents the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Croatian civil society organisations. The JCC complements the bodies already set up within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia. Over the past six years the JCC has allowed civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and prepare for Croatia's accession. It has also played a crucial role in disseminating information in the EU and in Croatia and initiating debates amongst the public on issues of common interest. At this 13th and final meeting the Members of the JCC adopted the present final report. The two co-presidents of the JCC are Mr Christoph Lechner, EESC member (Employees Group, Austria), Head of Department at the Lower Austria Chamber of Workers and Employees and Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj, Executive Secretary at the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH). The JCC has twelve members, six from the EESC and six from Croatian civil society organisations. The final report will be forwarded to the political authorities in the EU and Croatia as a contribution from civil society to the work of the EU-Croatia Association Council. At this 13th meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia JCC were honoured to welcome H.E. Mr Paul Vandoren, Head of the EU Delegation to Croatia; Mr Marko Krištof, Assistant to the Minister of Labour and Pension System; Mr Hrvoje Marušić, Assistant to the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs; and Mr Igor Vidačak, Director for the Croatian Government office Office of Cooperation with NGOs 1. Introduction This final report summarises the main themes of the JCC's work over the six years of its existence. The first meeting of the JCC was held on 12 March 2007 in Brussels and was followed by biannual EN

2 - 2 - meetings held alternately in Croatia and the EU. The 13th and final meeting was held on 18 June 2013 a few days prior to Croatia's EU accession on 1 July The main themes of the JCC's work included the monitoring of the accession negotiations, with the involvement of representatives of the Croatian government, the EU institutions and EFTA; its work on major themes related to the accession negotiations and civil society development; and the involvement in its discussions of external participants and stakeholders, including Croatian civil society representatives, academics and experts, as well as interested EU civil society representatives, which provided a means of drawing in as wide a spectrum of civil society into the discussion of the accession negotiations as possible. In addition to the mainstream of the JCC's work which centred on the discussions at the meetings of the JCC, the Co-Presidents and Members of the JCC also worked on the margins of JCC meetings to boost the standing of Croatian civil society and its role vis-à-vis the Croatian national authorities, both in the areas of social and civil dialogue. The scope of the JCC's work thus was not confined purely to the biannual meetings. 2. The monitoring of accession negotiations The JCC's monitoring of the accession negotiations took the form of a regular agenda item at each meeting which covered the progress achieved in the accession negotiations, based on the chapter under negotiation at that moment, or any particular theme that dominated political discourse at the time and was affecting the accession negotiations. Thus, both the EU institutions (European Commission for EU-based meetings and the EU Delegation in Croatia for Croatia-based meetings) and the Croatian authorities responsible for the accession negotiations were invited to provide regular updates on the negotiations through a representative at the meeting. At each meeting, this first update animated the discussions and question and answer sessions that followed. Particular attention was paid by the JCC Members to the economic and social aspects, as well as the civic participatory aspects of any theme discussed, in line with the civil society participants' knowledge of and concern for the subject matter under discussion. As a result, the JCC's recommendations on the accession process became a regular feature in the conclusions of each meeting, and were fed both into the Croatian governments' accession efforts and the European Commission's annual progress reports on Croatia's accession negotiations. 3. Work on major themes for the accession negotiations and civil society development Based on the developments in the accession negotiations as well as wider, economic, social and political concerns of the day, individual JCC Members prepared comprehensive reports addressing major themes that arose from those developments and concerns. The aim of these reports was to provide a synthesised, expert view, based on civil society expertise, of the subject matter under discussion. The reports' fact and views were presented in such a way that they could be transformed

3 - 3 - into recommendations for the JCC meetings' conclusions, and hence be readily used as policy advice by the EU institutions and the Croatian authorities. In other cases the reports served as a source of information for civil society organisations themselves, for example on EU funding procedures. Since many of the reports were drawn up in response to the accession negotiations, many of the recommendations formulated can be said to have been addressed and implemented since by the EU institutions and Croatian authorities, either fully or in part. In some cases, further work clearly needs to be carried our beyond Croatian's accession as the results obtained may not yet be fully satisfactory, or the issue is by its nature, challenging. Where this is the case, the reports and conclusions of the JCC can continue to inspire policy makers in their current and future work, as Croatia takes forward its political, social and economic development as an EU Member State. The subjects examined by the JCC Members on the basis of reports were as follows, in chronological order between (if you wish to receive a copy of the reports, please contact the EESC's secretariat): Enterprise and Industrial Policy Social Policy and Employment Social and civil dialogue Consumer and Health Protection Flexicurity Sustainable development Social and economic rights Transport policy Communicating about the EU in Croatia Pension reform in Croatia and the EU Social Dialogue in Croatia and the EU following the Lisbon Treaty Rural development and LEADER approach The European Social Fund (ESF) EU regional policy Getting prepared for the EU regional policy and the structural and cohesion It is worth noting that on most of these themes external participants and stakeholders were involved, in particular Croatian civil society representatives, academics and experts, which widened the impact of the discussion. 4. Additional achievements of the JCC One of the key achievements of the JCC, thanks to additional work that was carried out by the two Co-Presidents in parallel to the JCC meetings, has been to boost EU funding support to the Croatian social partners. The JCC succeeded in adding a fifth funding pillar under the EU's IPA IV package for Croatia that is specifically aimed at supporting the capacity-building efforts of the social partners.

4 - 4 - Following a needs-assessment with the Croatian social partners, and numerous contacts undertaken by the Co-Presidents with the European Commission and the EU Delegation in Zagreb, the European Commission agreed to make support for the social partners a policy priority. Prior to this, EU funding support to civil society was focused almost exclusively on the NGO sector. The addition of the fifth pillar takes on additional importance when one considers its potential impact on the remaining candidate countries in the Western Balkans. Since Croatia's accession to an important degree serves as a blueprint for the accession of its neighbours, the addition of a fifth pillar in support of the social partners in Croatia augurs well for the development of neighbouring countries' social partners, if the funding model is replicated. In addition to its success in establishing an additional funding stream, the JCC also ensured that the EU Delegation in Zagreb provides expert support to civil society including social partner organisations on applications for EU projects that are to be carried out and implemented by them. This guarantee of expert support has since been extended to the other Western Balkan countries Another overall achievement of the JCC has been to smooth the accession process for Croatian civil society representatives itself, as it moves from funding support under the accession process to funding support as a full EU Member. In particular the JCC's work on the ESF and EUs regional funds, the results of which were disseminated widely in Croatian civil society, has been beneficial to this. 5. Conclusion and future perspectives As is custom with all JCCs that have been set up with the civil society of candidate countries for EU accession, meetings of the JCC are held up until a few days before accession. The purpose of this is to ensure that the transition from EU candidate country to Members State takes place as smoothly as possibly for civil society this is particularly relevant if one considers that many of the Croatian JCC Members are destined to become future Members of the European Economic and Social Committee upon accession. Thanks to their many years of cooperation with EESC representatives in the JCC, the Croatian Members of the JCC are well prepared for their future work in the EESC and will be able to contribute to the work and decisions of the EESC right from the outset. This 13th meeting close to the date of Croatia's EU accession is also a signal to the EU institutions and the Croatian authorities that EU interest in Croatian civil society does not end with the signing of the accession negotiations and ratification of the accession treaty. Indeed, seen from this perspective, the wrapping up of the JCC and accession is the start of new process "the end of the beginning" and definitely not the "beginning of the end". As the European Commission highlighted in its last progress report on Croatia, many areas remain in which Croatia must continue its current work if it wished to bring to fruition the beneficial processes launched with the accession processes. The accession process is the initiation of a process that leads to membership, but which should not be seen as the end of the process itself.

5 - 5 - There are numerous policy areas in which Croatian civil society, together with its EU partners, can and should work to improve the welfare of Croatian citizens. These cannot all be listed here. One area that the JCC Members wish to highlight in particular is the continued need to develop social and civil dialogue in Croatia as a basis for conflict prevention, social cohesion and sustainable social, economic and political development in the EU. This concerns both Croatian social and civil dialogue on internal policy issues, but in particular also Croatian social and civil dialogue on EU policy matters. These are some of the challenges that still lie ahead. Finally, Croatian civil society has been playing an important role in developing regional cooperation at the level of civil society amongst the states of the south-eastern Europe with the support of the EU. Thanks to the experience and contacts gained by Croatian civil society through Croatian and EU cross-border initiatives in the region, its contribution to the JCC, and its continued involvement in the Western Balkans civil society forum, it is well equipped to meet future challenges and promote regional integration. Appendices: - List of all EU-Croatia JCC Members and Presidents - Conclusions of the previous 12 JCC meetings.

6 - 6 - Appendix 1: List of all EU-Croatia JCC Members and Presidents CROATIAN JCC REPRESENTATIVES: Group I (Employers) Ms Lidija Horvatić, HUP - Croatian Employers' Association, Member / JCC Co-president Ms Jasna Kulušić, HUP - Croatian Employers' Association, Member Mr Bernard Jakelić, HUP - Croatian Employers' Association, Member Group II (Trade Unions) Mr Boris Feis, SSSH - Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia, Member at the first JCC meeting in 2007 Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj, SSSH - Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia, Member / JCC Co-president Ms Marija Hanževački, NHS - Independent Trade Unions of Croatia, Member Group III (Various Interests) Ms Lidija Pavić-Rogošić, ODRAZ - Sustainable Community Development, Member / JCC Co-president Mr Tomislav Goll, SDDH - National Neuromuscular Association, Member EESC REPRESENTATIVES: Group I (Employers) Mr Göke Frerichs, BGA - Federation of German Wholesale and Foreign Trade Germany, Member Ms Waltraud Klasnic, Former Governor of Styria - Austria, Member / JCC Co-president Group II (Trade Unions) Mr Carmelo Cedrone, UIL - Italian Union of Labour - Italy, Member Mr Michael Parnis, General Workers' Union - Malta, Member Ms Metka Roksandić, Union of Autonomous Trade Unions, - Slovenia, Member Mr Christoph Lechner, Lower Austria Chamber of Workers and Employees - Austria, Member , JCC Co-president Mr Andrej Zorko, Slovenian Association of Free Trade Unions - Slovenia, Member Group III (Various Interests) Mr Roman Haken, CdKP - Centre for Community Work Czech Republic, Member Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund, Federal Committee of Liberal Professions Austria, Member / JCC Co-president Mr Gilbert Bros, APCA Standing Assembly of Chambers of Agriculture France, Member

7 - 7 - Appendix 2 : Conclusions of the previous 12 JCC meetings 12th meeting, 11 December 2012, Brussels CONCLUSIONS issued by the two co-presidents, Mr Christoph Lechner and Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) represents the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Croatian civil society organisations. The JCC complements the bodies already set up within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia and allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and prepare for Croatia's accession. It also plays a crucial role in disseminating information in the EU and in Croatia and initiating debates amongst the public on issues of common interest. The two co-presidents of the JCC are Mr Christoph Lechner, EESC member (Employees Group, Austria), Head of Department at the Lower Austria Chamber of Workers and Employees and Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj, Executive Secretary at the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH). The JCC has twelve members, six from the EESC and six from Croatian civil society organisations. These conclusions will be forwarded to the political authorities in the EU and Croatia as a contribution from civil society to the work of the EU-Croatia Association Council. At this 12th meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia JCC were honoured to receive Ms Zrinka Ujević from the Mission of Croatia to the EU and Mr Thomas Hagleitner and Ms Sabine Germe as representatives of the European Commission. 1. Political, economic and social developments up until Croatia's accession to the EU 1.1 The JCC members reiterate their support for a fast and smooth ratification of the Accession Treaty and call on those EU Member States yet to ratify the Treaty to proceed as quickly as possible so that Croatia can become an EU member in July EN

8 The JCC members are confident of the benefits that Croatia's accession will bring for the EU and for Croatia itself. 1.3 Though the Accession Treaty has been signed, Croatia has committed itself to continuing its work in certain specific areas where more efforts are still required (restructuring process for the shipyards as well as preparations to implement EU funds). In this regard, the JCC members congratulate the Croatian authorities on its overall good progress towards EU membership and, in particular, alignment with the EU legislation and standards. Nevertheless, the JCC notes that further improvements are needed in areas such as judiciary, fight against corruption, and human rights and the protection of minorities, and underline the important role that civil society organisations could and should play in these areas. 1.4 The JCC members reiterate that organised civil society in Croatia, including representatives of the social partners and representatives from other civil society organisations, should be mandatorily involved in advance in the preparation and adoption of legislation when proposals are submitted in their field of competence. In this regard, the Croatian Code on stakeholder consultation must be systematically applied. 1.5 The JCC welcomes the EESC's decision to invite Croatian civil society representatives to participate in some of the EESC Plenary Sessions as observers during the months leading to accession. 2. Getting prepared for the EU regional policy and the structural and cohesion funds 2.1 The JCC is convinced that EU regional policy can be particularly useful in helping to address the significant socio-economic disparities between the individual regions of Croatia as regards demography, growth and economic activity. 2.2 The JCC members stress the importance of the partnership approach and the need to support and develop local ownership in the programming and implementation. The involvement of all partners and stakeholders, including organised civil society, should be encouraged at all stages of assistance: design and preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The existing knowledge and experience of CSOs in many areas should be recognised and used as added value to those processes. The assistance to be provided to civil society should also be channelled through local intermediary support organisations and national resource centres. Projects undertaken in the framework of EU regional policy should achieve the intended results in the most efficient manner and ensuring ownership and impact. 2.3 Heavy bureaucracy and lengthy procedures need to be further reduced in the management of EU structural funds. Increased efforts are needed to fight and prevent corruption effectively.

9 - 9 - The JCC welcomes the objective of the IPA II draft regulation to simplify and reduce the administrative burden involved in managing the financial assistance. Clear and coherent information must be provided to potential applicants of funding. By placing excessive emphasis on auditing and procedures both national and European authorities impede access to EU funding for organised civil society. 2.4 Organised civil society faces difficulties in achieving the co-financing rates required for EU-funded projects. With view to the programming period, the JCC members call for a more flexible approach to co-financing rates and conditionality clauses, and also a possibility to transfer allocations from one policy area to another and carry over funds from one year to another. 2.5 It is crucial that payments of EU funds are made as soon as possible when the project or a phase of the project has been completed. Delays can become a significant problem for civil society organisations which often have limited financial resources. Negative expectations of payment delays can prevent organised civil society from applying for EU funded projects. 2.6 Preparation and implementation of EU-funded projects requires institutional capacity. In order for civil society organisations to be able to play their role in full, their knowledge and expertise in EU affairs and procedures need to be improved. In addition, investments in technical equipment and skills are needed. The JCC members call on the EU and Croatian public authorities to reinforce capacity-building programmes including, though not exclusively, training in EU procedures and project management, information technologies and communication. 2.7 Appropriate tools and indicators need to be developed and implemented in order to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of EU funded projects once they have been completed. The JCC considers that all indicators should be result-oriented and should be both qualitative (to measure the impact and achieved changes) and quantitative. 3. Next meeting 3.1 According to the work programme and rules of procedure, the JCC will have its next and last meeting in spring 2013 in Croatia.

10 th meeting, 5 June 2012, Vienna CONCLUSIONS issued by the two co-presidents, Mr Christoph Lechner and Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) represents the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Croatian civil society organisations. The JCC complements the bodies already set up within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia and allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and prepare for Croatia's accession. It also plays a crucial role in disseminating information in the EU and in Croatia and initiating debates amongst the public on issues of common interest. The two co-presidents of the JCC are Mr Christoph Lechner, EESC member (Employees Group, Austria), Head of Department at the Lower Austria Chamber of Workers and Employees and Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj, Head of Department at the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH). The JCC has twelve members, six from the EESC and six from Croatian civil society organisations. These conclusions will be forwarded to the political authorities in the EU and Croatia as a contribution from civil society to the work of the EU-Croatia Association Council. At this 11th meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia JCC were honoured to receive Mr Gordan Bakota, Croatian Ambassador to Austria; Mr Torben Brylle, Danish Ambassador to Austria, representing the Presidency of the Council of the EU; Mr Hubert Heiss, Department Head, Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs; Mr Paul Vandoren, Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Croatia and Mr Richard Kuehnel, Head of the European Commission Representation in Austria. 1. Political, economic and social developments up until Croatia's accession to the EU 1.1 The JCC members reiterate their support for a fast and smooth ratification of the Accession Treaty and call on those EU Member States yet to ratify the Treaty to proceed as quickly as possible so that Croatia can become an EU member in July EN

11 The JCC members are confident of the benefits that Croatia's accession will bring for the EU and for Croatia itself. The Western Balkans and the whole Mediterranean region will also benefit, since stability and prosperity will be strengthened. 1.3 Though the Accession Treaty has been signed, Croatia has committed itself to continuing its work in certain specific areas. In this regard, the JCC members congratulate the Croatian authorities on its overall positive preparations for EU membership and, in particular, alignment with the EU acquis. The Commission's recent monitoring report on Croatia s accession preparations should therefore provide the roadmap until accession. 1.4 Nevertheless, further improvements are needed in areas such as justice, combating organised crime and corruption, and the protection of minorities. 1.5 Further efforts should be also made in relation to specific legislative alignment and with a view to increasing capacities in the following areas: In the field of agriculture and rural development, strengthened administrative capacity and more legislative improvements are needed. In relation to employment and social policy, social partners require more and stronger capacities. Furthermore, anti-discrimination rules and equal opportunities should be further developed and the structural weaknesses in the labour market should be addressed. Further administrative capacities are necessary in order to ensure smooth programming and effective implementation of the future cohesion policy. 1.6 The JCC members reiterate the following proposals: The national committee supporting Croatia's accession negotiations must continue to include representatives of the social partners and consideration should be given to the possibility of involving representatives from other civil society organisations. Organised civil society in Croatia, including the social partners, should be mandatorily involved in advance in the adoption of EU legislation when proposals are submitted in their field of competence. In this regard, the Croatian code on stakeholder consultation must be systematically applied. 1.7 The JCC welcomes the EESC's decision to invite Croatian civil society representatives to participate in EESC meetings as observers during the months leading to accession. 2. EU regional policy 2.1 Although Croatia is a relatively small economy, there are significant socio-economic disparities between the individual counties as regards demographic trends, growth and economic activity especially in terms of the labour market. EU regional policy can be particularly useful in helping to address these disparities.

12 The JCC members stress the importance of the partnership approach. Involving all partners and stakeholders, including organised civil society, in the preparation, execution and ex-post evaluation of projects undertaken in the framework of EU regional policy is crucial to achieving the intended results in the most efficient manner and ensuring ownership, impact and durability. 2.3 Though efforts have been made, bureaucracy needs to be reduced in the management of EU regional funds. Clear and coherent information must be provided to potential recipients of funding. Furthermore, by placing excessive emphasis on auditing and procedures, both national and European authorities stifle access to EU funding for organised civil society. 2.4 Having low capital capacity, organised civil society (including social partners) faces difficulties in achieving the co-financing rates required for EU-funded projects. In relation to the period, the JCC members believe that a flexible, responsible approach to cofinancing rates and conditionality clauses would improve the chances of the measures financed having a lasting impact. 2.5 When EU funding is disbursed once the project or a phase of the project has been completed, it is crucial that payments of EU funds are made as soon as possible. Delays can become a significant burden for civil society organisations, which often have limited financial capacities. Payment delays can prevent organised civil society from applying for EU funding. 2.6 Applying for and managing EU-funded projects requires a certain level of management capacity. In order for organised civil society to be able to play its role, organisations must strengthen their human resources, infrastructures and financial capacities. The JCC members call on organised civil society and public authorities to reinforce capacity-building programmes including, though not exclusively, training, information technologies and access to technical assistance. Support for project applicants and beneficiaries, in the form of individual guidance, is also needed. 2.7 Weak administrative capacity in public administrations (especially at local, regional and national level) should also be addressed. This involves but is not limited to the number of staff and its competences, as well as working methods and management of human resources. 2.8 Other appropriate tools and indicators need to be developed and implemented in order to ensure the sustainability of EU funded projects once they have been completed.

13 th meeting, 31 January 2012, Zagreb CONCLUSIONS issued by the two co-presidents, Mr Christoph Lechner and Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) represents the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Croatian civil society organisations. The JCC complements the bodies already set up within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia, and allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and prepare Croatia's accession. It also plays an essential role in disseminating information in the EU and in Croatia, and in initiating debates on issues of common interest among the public. The JCC is currently chaired by Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj, Head of Department of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH), and Mr Christoph Lechner, EESC member (Employees' Group, Austria), Head of Department at the Lower Austria Chamber of Workers and Employees. The JCC is made up of twelve members, six from the EESC and six from Croatian civil society organisations. These conclusions will be forwarded to the political authorities in the EU and Croatia as a civil society contribution to the work of the EU-Croatia Association Council. At this 10th meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia JCC were honoured by the participation of Mr Mirando Mrsić, Croatian Minister of Labour and Pension System; Mr Joško Klisović, Deputy Minister of Foreign and European Affairs; Mr Bo Eric Weber, Danish Ambassador to Croatia, representing the Presidency of the Council of the EU, and Mr Paul Vandoren, Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Croatia 1. On Croatia's accession to the EU 1.1 The JCC members welcome the signing of the Croatia Accession Treaty and express their delight with the choice made by Croatian citizens to join the EU in the referendum held on 22 January. EN

14 The JCC members express their support for a fast and smooth ratification of the Accession Treaty by all the 27 EU Member States, enabling Croatia to become a full EU member in July Croatian membership of the EU will contribute to enhancing the stability and prosperity of the Western Balkans region and will send a clear signal to Croatia's neighbours that the benefits of European integration are within reach. 1.4 Notwithstanding the closing of the negotiations and the positive result of the ratification process, the JCC members call on the Croatian authorities to continue their efforts in the areas of justice, freedom and security policy, including the implementation and enforcement of Union requirements with respect to external border management, police cooperation, the fight against organised crime, and judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters. 1.5 The national committee supporting the Croatia accession negotiations (or a similar body) should be involved in monitoring the fulfilment of the remaining obligations and in keeping up regular communication with citizens. The national committee must continue to include representatives of the social partners and the possibility of involving representatives from other civil society organisations should be considered. 1.6 Even though the negotiations have been concluded, organised civil society, including the social partners, should be mandatorily involved in advance in the adoption of EU legislation when proposals are submitted in their field of competence. In this regard, the Croatian code on stakeholder consultation must be systematically applied. 1.7 JCC members express their hope that before 2013, Croatian civil society representatives will obtain the possibility to participate in EESC meetings as observers as soon as possible. 2. On the subject of the European Social Fund (ESF) 2.1 Civil society organisations play a major role in the areas of social dialogue (at regional, national and European levels), promoting employment and workforce training, the social inclusion of the most vulnerable groups, facilitating access to social services and fostering local development. 2.2 In order to play their roles, civil society organisations must strengthen their organisational, infrastructure and expertise capacities. JCC members highlight the importance of the current civil society capacity-building programmes under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance and stress that efforts in this regard must be pursued and reinforced so that Croatian civil society organisations can identify, apply for and implement projects funded by the EU and thus take full advantage of EU funding.

15 Organised civil society, especially the social partners, must receive access to technical support, so as to enable them to strengthen not only their capacities, but also their coordination and representation in ad hoc committees which define and implement operational programmes. 2.4 In the framework of the ESF's objective of improving businesses' and workers' ability to adapt to change, the JCC underlines the need for future ESF funds to address this particular target in Croatia, where there is a need for innovative solutions and new forms and types of work. 2.5 Other areas where ESF could be especially beneficial for Croatia include acquisition of knowhow on sustainable entrepreneurship development of new services provided by social partners in accordance with economic and labour market trends and support for the restructuring of sectors. 2.6 The ESF must also support cross-sector and sector-based social dialogue (e.g. by establishing sector social advisory councils) in a view to facilitating the cooperation among social partners to analyse and reach agreements on workers' skills and training programmes, employers' needs, industrial policy, strategic planning and environmental protection. 2.7 Sustainability of currently satisfying projects must be ensured through state financing mechanisms at local, regional and national level so that Croatia will prepare for the ESF more effectively. 2.8 Discussions are currently underway on the ESF covering the period, shortly after the expected Croatia's accession to the EU. Combating poverty and promoting employment and social inclusion (particularly through employment) especially among the most vulnerable groups such as young people, women, migrants, long-term unemployed, old people, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities is, and should remain, the ESF's priority for the period. In this context, the ESF must be a key element of the Europe 2020 strategy and underpin the policies pursued at national level under the Integrated Guidelines and National Reform Programmes. 2.9 In the current exceptional economic circumstances, the ESF must also exceptionally focus on combating the economic crisis and protecting workers and the most disadvantaged members of society from the effects of the crisis. The European Employment Strategy, as well as EU policies on social inclusion, must be one of the EU key priorities, and more funding must be earmarked for creating more and better jobs The budget allocated to the European Social Fund for the period must at least be maintained at the same level as for the current programming period For the period, in every Member State at least 40% of all ESF resources should be earmarked for the thematic objective of "promoting employment and labour mobility" and at

16 least 20% of all ESF resources should be earmarked for "promoting social inclusion and combating poverty", particularly with a view to reducing the number of people in poverty by 20 million by When determining regions' level of economic development, other criteria should be taken into account in addition to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), such as unemployment, employment and labour force participation rates, skills levels, poverty rates, welfare and social integration levels and early school-leaving rates As regards the introduction of a new category of "transition" regions, with an average per capita GDP of between 75% and 90% of the EU average GDP, the JCC members deem such a measure to be acceptable provided that it does not erode the amount of resources earmarked for the category of most disadvantaged regions The JCC members reject the Commission's proposal for the period to apply Structural Fund financial sanctions and incentives on the basis of compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact The partnership principle, which involves the social and economic partners and organisations representing civil society, must be enhanced since it provides an essential guarantee that measures linked to the ESF will work properly A number of improvements must be made to the implementation of procedures and the practical aspects of accessing ESF funding, in particular by considerably reducing bureaucracy, speeding up the payment system in order to minimise the financial burden for those implementing programmes, and simplifying invoicing and account settlement procedures Performance indicators have to be defined, but it is also important that there are both quantitative and qualitative criteria. This includes evaluating results in terms of the efficiency of measures carried out and the quality of jobs created and by listing positive measures taken to secure social integration.

17 - 17-9th meeting, 21 June 2011, Brussels CONCLUSIONS issued by the two co-presidents, Mr Christoph Lechner and Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) represents the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Croatian civil society organisations. The JCC complements the bodies already set up within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia, and allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and prepare Croatia's accession. It also plays an essential role in disseminating information in the EU and in Croatia, and in initiating debates on issues of common interest among the public. The JCC is currently chaired by Ms Ana Milićević Pezelj, Head of Department of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH), and Mr Christoph Lechner, EESC member (Employees' Group, Austria), Head of Department at the Lower Austria Chamber of Workers and Employees. The JCC is made up of twelve members, six from the EESC and six from Croatian civil society organisations. The JCC regrets that the Croatian Employers representatives were unable to attend the meeting. These conclusions will be forwarded to the political authorities in the EU and Croatia as a civil society contribution to the work of the EU-Croatia Association Council. 1. On the accession negotiations: 1.1 The JCC members welcome the European Commission's recent positive assessment of Croatia's progress in the accession negotiations and the proposal it made to the EU Council of Ministers on 10 June 2011 to close the last four chapters in the accession negotiations. 1.2 Notwithstanding the possible closing of negotiations, the JCC members call on the Croatian government to continue its efforts to tackle corruption and organised crime, and to continue to adhere to the commitments it has made in this respect during the negotiations. EN

18 The JCC members call on the parties involved to close the remaining chapters as soon as possible so that the ratification process can be launched and Croatia can hopefully join the EU by On the subject of Social Dialogue in Croatia and the EU following the Lisbon Treaty: 2.1 The JCC members point at the critical role that social dialogue plays in the economic and social development of European countries, especially at a time of economic crisis; it must therefore remain central to economic and social policy. Social dialogue has a long history within the EU and the fact that it has been recognised in the Lisbon Treaty, together with the legally binding nature of the Charter of Fundamental Social Rights, make it a central feature of the EU's social acquis. 2.2 The JCC underlines some persistent difficulties encountered in the practice of social dialogue in Croatia ahead of Croatia s anticipated membership of the EU. The Croatian social partners, through the Croatian ESC, should be able to examine not just Croatian national legislation on social and economic affairs, but also EU legislation. 2.3 The JCC members note with satisfaction that the Croatian Economic and Social Council (CESC) has significantly revised its working methods and resumed its work in March. They call on the Croatian government in particular to continue its efforts to foster a consensual approach within the CESC and to help ensure that the CESC achieves its full potential as a key mechanism for promoting harmonious economic and social development in Croatia. It remains essential to strengthen the effective influence of the social partners in the policy and decision-making process, and the CESC has a pivotal role to play in that context. 2.4 The JCC acknowledges the progress achieved in tripartite dialogue through the ESC and in bilateral dialogue at national level. However, further progress is needed at sector level and individual company level. 2.5 The JCC members note that the lack of working statistics on social dialogue and collective bargaining currently makes it difficult to gauge progress in the above areas, and they would ask the Croatian government to make efforts to remedy this situation as a matter of urgency. It is also essential that the binding nature of agreements reached through collective bargaining is fully recognised by all parties. 2.6 In this context the JCC members underline that the individual social partner organisations need assistance in building up their capacities to be able to engage fully in social dialogue and they call for closer and sustained cooperation between the Croatian social partners, the European Commission and the Croatian government, both in the current funding periods and under the European Social Fund in the future. Organised civil society in Croatia, and the social partners especially, should be fully involved in the planning of and deployment for funds in the social sphere, particularly IPA and the ESF.

19 The JCC members express concern about aspects of the proposed law on representativity criteria, which could see certain social partner organisations excluded from social dialogue. It is essential that any change in the independent status of any social partner organisation, be it through laws or statutes, have the consent of the organisation in question. 2.8 The JCC underlines the need to keep up efforts to implement the decent job agenda in Croatia, as well as projects on youth employment and pension system reform, and it supports the work of the ILO in this area. 2.9 The JCC calls on the Croatian Government to ratify ILO Convention No 144 and all other conventions that are still pending for ratification. 3. On the subjects of pension reform in Croatia and the EU 3.1 The JCC members underline that the main goals with regard to pension systems in the EU and Croatia must be: to guarantee older people material security and dignity thus ensuring that they share in their country's prosperity and can play a full role in public, social and cultural life; to guarantee all individuals access to adequate pension systems both public and private so as to allow those individuals to earn the right to a pension which maintains their standard of living; to promote inter- and intra-generational solidarity. 3.2 The JCC members emphasise that social security in age - since this is what pension systems are about - should be considered as a human right for older people and as measure of a society's civilization. There is no universal panacea for a healthy pension system, especially given the diversity of pension systems and traditions across Europe. It is now clear that all pension schemes, regardless of the way they are financed, can be affected - in different ways - both by economic crises and by the fact that the population is ageing. However, all systems, whatever their form, must guarantee sustainable, decent pensions for older people. 3.3 The JCC stresses that serious, sustained social dialogue and the involvement of the social partners is a prerequisite for quality solutions to pension-related issues. They demand that pension reform be left to the social partners. It regrets in this connection that the 1999 pension reform in Croatia was carried out without the broad consultation of social partners. The fact that the law on pensions has been amended 11 times in as many years testifies to the reform's lack of broad consensus among stakeholders. 3.4 The JCC members regret that the state of pensions systems in Croatia has deteriorated in the above period, the results of which include: Croatian workers with an average wage who have been paying in contributions for 40 years receiving only 54% of their last net wage; workers who in 2002 fell in the age bracket and were encouraged to opt for the second pillar involving pension funds receiving a smaller pension than those who stayed in the first pillar based on intergenerational solidarity; older workers who have recently retired or are about to do so facing lower wages, irregular wage payments and major swings in wage levels, and ultimately lower pensions; the risk of poverty among people above 65 being 34.4% for men

20 and 39% for women; pensions having been frozen for the period leading to drop in the real value of pensions. 3.5 The JCC notes that Croatia has the highest per capita ratio of persons benefiting from invalidity pensions in Europe, largely as a consequence of Croatia's 'Homeland' war. The share of invalidity pensions in overall pension expenditure is 26% for Croatia, as compared to 16% for the EU. The JCC draws the attention to the lack of equal legal provisions for recipients of invalidity pensions, and calls on the Croatian government to review this issue. 3.6 The JCC members underline that pay-as-you go systems that rely on inter-generational solidarity are powerful "shock-absorbers" in times of crisis and that is important to bear in mind the fact that funded pensions schemes are damaged by every financial and stock market crisis. In the case of mandatory pension funded systems both in Croatia and the EU, if they were to become standard practice and the Pay-As-You-Go schemes were to shift partly towards funded pension schemes, the result would have to avoid creating inequalities and jeopardising the income of future pensioners. 3.7 The JCC members stress that the effects of the crisis on pension schemes in Croatia and the EU owe more to the lack of jobs and investment than to demography; it doubts that a mere rise in legal retirement age can solve the problems associated with demographic challenges. The risk of elderly people being pushed below the poverty line, particularly women, should be considered. 3.8 The JCC underlines that what is needed is to increase the effective retirement age up to the existing legal retirement age using initiatives to foster extended working life, flanked by effective growth and employment policies: supporting the quantity and quality of employment; raising productivity and economic performance; and improving flexicurity in the labour market, lifelong learning and the integration of migrants. In the absence of real job opportunities for older workers in the EU and Croatia, financial support for these workers could shift to other social security pillars. 3.9 The JCC members emphasise that pension systems must be transparent, and information and statistics on their functioning as well as on all rights of the participants must be available and understandable The tenth meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee will take place in Croatia in late autumn 2011.

21 - 21-8th meeting, 27 January 2011, Zagreb CONCLUSIONS issued by the two co-presidents, Ms Lidija Pavić-Rogošić and Mr Christoph Lechner The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) represents the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Croatian civil society organisations. The JCC complements the bodies already set up within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia, and allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and prepare Croatia's accession. It also plays an essential role in disseminating information in the EU and in Croatia, and in initiating debates on issues of common interest among the public. The JCC is currently chaired by Ms Lidija Pavić-Rogošić, Director of ODRAZ - a Croatian NGO that designs and applies the concept of sustainable development for the benefit of the local community - and Mr Christoph Lechner, EESC member (Employees' Group, Austria), Head of Department at the Lower Austria Chamber of Workers and Employees. The JCC is made up of twelve members, six from the EESC and six from Croatian civil society organisations. These conclusions will be forwarded to the political authorities in the EU and Croatia as a civil society contribution to the work of the EU-Croatia Association Council. At this eighth meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia JCC were honoured by the participation of Ms Vesna Pusić, President of the National Committee for the monitoring of accession negotiations, Croatian Parliament; Mr Andrej Plenković, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration; Mr József Magyar, Deputy Head of Mission, Hungarian Embassy to the Republic of Croatia, representing the Presidency of the Council of the EU; Mr Paolo Berizzi, Head of Section, EU Delegation to Croatia; and Mr Sandy Boyle, President of the EESC s External Relations Section. 1. On the accession negotiations: 1.1 The JCC members welcome the recent provisional closing of three chapters (Chapter 24: Justice, Freedom and Security; Chapter 27: Environment; Chapter 31: Foreign, Security and Defence Policy), which means that negotiations are proceeding at a good pace. EN

22 The JCC members are especially pleased that the latest provisionally closed chapters include the chapter on Justice, Freedom and Security, reflecting the progress made in these areas. They call on the government to continue its efforts of the past months to tackle corruption and organised crime. Furthermore, the JCC members call on the government to improve the implementation of the rights of minorities in all areas, with a view to closing Chapter 23: Judiciary and Fundamental Rights. 1.3 With regard to the negotiations on Chapter 8: Competition policy, the JCC members call on the government to deepen its consultations with Croatian social partners and other civil society organisations whose expertise and ongoing commitment to this critical issue are particularly strong. 1.4 The JCC members are greatly concerned about the disruption of tripartite social dialogue within the Croatian ESC. The JCC Members call on the government, the trade unions and employers organisation to intensify social dialogue and to take the necessary steps to re-establish a functioning dialogue within the Croatian ESC. It is also essential to strengthen the effective influence of the social partners in the policy and decision-making process. 1.5 Pending the successful resolution of outstanding issues, the JCC members call on the parties involved in the negotiations to close the remaining chapters during the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU, and express their strong support for the completion of accession talks by mid On the subject of Communicating about the EU in Croatia: 2.1 The JCC members previously discussed communication policy at the 5th meeting of the EU- Croatia JCC held in Prague in May 2009 where they set out a number of key recommendations on communication during the enlargement process. Due to the importance of the subject, they decided to reopen the discussion and to fine-tune their recommendations in view of the anticipated completion of the accession negotiations and the ratification processes in Croatia and the EU Member States. 2.2 The JCC members note with concern that, according to opinion polls, support for EU accession amongst the Croatian public has achieved only slender majorities in recent years. Polls suggest that a majority of the public is apathetic and has lost its enthusiasm due to the many perceived delays in EU accession. Also, it seems that sections of the population do not see the immediate benefits of accession for them personally. 2.3 The JCC members underline that communicating about the EU is the joint responsibility of the EU institutions, the governments of the EU Member States and Croatia. The media, both in the EU and Croatia, as well as wider civil society, including the social partners, should

23 contribute to and assist in the communication process. They call on these players to act, as much as possible, in concert during the challenges that lie ahead. 2.4 They call on the Croatian government to invite civil society, including the social partners, to carry out a joint evaluation of the communication process in order to identify weaknesses and work together on the implementation of an improved communication model. This should involve the sharing of information to enable the government and civil society, including the social partners, to effectively promote EU accession and EU values. 2.5 In future communication efforts it is important to focus on young people, workers and unemployed persons, pensioners, marginalised groups and the population in rural areas, and to target key topics: unemployment, the economic situation, rising prices/inflation, the health care system, pensions. Supporters of EU accession need to be provided with adequate information on issues of interest to them. It is crucial to highlight the advantages of accession: increased political influence, economic opportunities, involvement in decisions relating to global challenges, such as climate change. 2.6 In the future implementation of the national communication strategy on EU accession, it is crucial to intensify and enhance the existing efforts. The aim should be to provide the Croatian public with clear and objective information so that they make well-informed judgments about the effects of accession. The watchwords for all players in the EU and Croatia engaged in communication on EU accession should be: clarity, honesty, a realistic approach, engagement with the media, communication about policy content, and involvement of civil society players, including the social partners. 3. On the subjects of Rural Development, the LEADER programme and Agriculture: 3.1 The JCC members emphasise that the current debate on the Common Agricultural Policy and other policies to support rural development is central to the future of Europe's rural areas. It is vital that not just experts and political leaders, but also the rural communities and organisations themselves make their voices heard in the debate. This requires a strengthening of civil society in rural areas. 3.2 The JCC members underline that the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy which is currently being envisaged for the period should promote a diverse and multifunctional agriculture and rural development across the Union. 3.3 They note that the changes that have affected rural areas across Europe have been particularly far-reaching in the "new" EU Member State, as well as in Croatia. Civil society active in rural areas faces a growing number of obstacles which are caused by disparities in economic development and demographic problems, inadequate infrastructure, lack of skills, the complexity of funding sources, as well as the still highly centralised institutional framework and attitudes of public authorities.

24 It is essential to promote local projects that lead to economic development and take maximum advantage of local strengths. It should be stressed in this context that rural development is about more than just the revitalisation and funding of agriculture. It also represents an investment in cultural, social, educational and environmental structures. 3.5 Local authorities should respond to and actively support local initiatives for the development of rural society and encourage coordination between players at local level, as well as between themselves and the authorities at regional and national level. This means that local authorities and civil society stakeholders need to achieve a greater degree of synergy than currently exists. At national level, policy makers should be more consistent in taking into account the impact on rural areas of policies which otherwise appear to be only indirectly related to rural affairs, such as education and public procurement. 3.6 With regard specifically to Croatia, the JCC members note that the experience of recent years has shown that the local population are genuinely interested in rural development. At the same time, a broader and more accessible consultation process with rural stakeholders is needed. 3.7 The JCC members underlined furthermore that it is important to familiarise the whole range of government institutions at national, regional and local level with the main ideas and purpose of the rural development programme, and encourage them to support LEADER initiatives. Civil society organisations active in the field have proven to be key agents in mobilising and organising local stakeholders. They have facilitated the setting up of local partnerships and provided guidance on strategic partnerships. Their contribution needs to be recognised, their capacities strengthened, and their experience in informing and motivating rural stakeholders, as well as their best practice expertise, put to good use in the challenges that lie ahead. 3.8 The JCC members draw attention to the fact that the ten existing Local Action Groups (LAGs) in Croatia have been waiting for formal government approval of their activities for two years now. They call on the Croatian government to speed up the introduction of the necessary by-laws and the Commission to respond quickly in order to enable full implementation of all IPARD measures for rural areas in Croatia as soon as possible. Failure to do so would mean a loss of momentum in the rural development process which is being promoted by LAGs. 3.9 The JCC members emphasise that rural development needs to be understood as a long-term process that can be very demanding. It is a process which needs to be encouraged "from above", but implemented and run "from below".

25 The ninth meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee will take place in Brussels in late spring 2011.

26 - 26-7th meeting, 8 April 2010, Brussels CONCLUSIONS issued by the two co-presidents, Ms Lidija Pavić-Rogošić and Ms Waltraud Klasnic The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) represents the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Croatian civil society organisations. The JCC complements the bodies already set up within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia, and allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and prepare Croatia's accession. It also plays an essential role in disseminating information in the EU and in Croatia, and in initiating debates on issues of common interest among the public. The JCC is currently presided by Ms Lidija Pavić-Rogošić, Director of ODRAZ - a Croatian NGO that designs and applies the concept of sustainable development for the benefit of the local community - and Ms Waltraud Klasnic, EESC member (Employers' Group, Austria) and former Governor of Styria. The JCC is made up of twelve members, six from the EESC and six from Croatian civil society organisations. 1. At this seventh meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia JCC were honoured by the participation of H.E. Mr Branko Baričević, Head of the Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union, and Mr Henrik Bendixen, Deputy Head of Unit for Croatia within the Directorate General for Enlargement, representing the European Commission, 2. The JCC members welcomed the further positive steps that have been taken towards settling the border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia. They expressed hope that the arbitration agreement signed by the two governments in Stockholm on 4 November 2009 will be ratified by both sides shortly and that a definitive settlement to the dispute will be achieved within a reasonable timeframe. They insisted that positive developments of this kind could be highly beneficial to the whole region and be seen as a useful precedent for solving other bilateral border issues in neighbouring countries. 3. On the state of play in the accession negotiations between the EU and Croatia. They welcomed the major breakthrough that has been achieved since the last JCC meeting in mid October 2009 thanks to the opening of two new chapters and the provisional closing of five EN

27 chapters. They noted that so far thirty out of thirty-three chapters have been opened, and seventeen of them provisionally closed. 4. The members were especially pleased that the latest provisionally closed chapters include the chapters on social policy and employment and on consumer and health protection, since these areas of the acquis communautaire are particularly important for mutual understanding and fruitful exchanges of experiences between Croatian and the EU civil society organisations. 5. However, JCC members stressed that additional efforts need to be made by the government of Croatia to reform public administration and the judicial system, to tackle corruption and organised crime and to further engage in economic reform. The participants underlined that in order to tackle these issues the government of Croatia should continue to engage in transparent decision making and deepen its consultations with Croatian social partners and other civil society organisations whose expertise in these areas and ongoing commitment are particularly strong. 6. Concerning the situation of minorities, JCC members noted that the overall picture is continuing to improve. However, they asked the authorities to take measures against the under-representation of minorities in public administration in general, and in the judiciary in particular. 7. The participants called on the parties involved in the negotiations to open the remaining chapters during the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU and expressed strong support for the completion of accession talks by the end of On transport policy, the participants adopted the following recommendations. 8. Picking up on the preliminary discussions on transport policy which were held at the previous meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee, the members welcomed the opinion adopted recently by the European Economic and Social Committee on Transport policy in the Western Balkans. 9. Following the presentation of this EESC opinion at the meeting by the rapporteur, Mr Zoltvány, the participants highlighted the importance of the future treaty establishing a transport community between the European Union and the Western Balkan countries. They pointed out once more that the implementation of the treaty will bring further reforms of the Croatian national transport sector and an important restructuration of the sector. They highlighted the major opportunity that the regional social forum will offer once it features in the institutional framework of the future transport community. In this context, they called on the government of Croatia to establish appropriate consultative working groups with social partners and other civil society organisations to closely monitor the ongoing and future developments in the transport sector.

28 JCC members supported the Republic of Croatia's application to host the Permanent Secretariat of the future Transport Community. 11. In order to anticipate the restructuring process in the transport sector that lies ahead, JCC members also asked the government of Croatia to assess the needs and draft and implement a strategy aimed at retraining workers that may lose their job in the above process, which it would then draft and implement. The participants called on the European Commission to assist during this difficult transition period through pre accession funds. 12. Regarding the broader transport context, the participants agreed that strong coherence should be sought between the future layout of TEN-T Trans-European Transport Networks at EU level and the infrastructures that are to be financed as a matter of priority by the government of Croatia. 13. They also called on the government to develop investments in inland waterways and other green transport modes, and to improve the capacity of all border crossings, insisting that this is a prerequisite for further economic integration between the countries of the region. On economic and social rights, JCC members made the following recommendations. 14. JCC members noted that economic and social rights are guaranteed by Croatian law. They stressed that the implementation of economic and social rights in Croatia was currently being jeopardised by the impact of the financial and economic crisis on the country. They mentioned that the very high unemployment rate (18%) has been a major challenge, in some sectors of the economy, to the efforts being made to achieve full respect of workers rights. They also underlined that the government of Croatia should continue its regular dialogue with social partners when drafting and implementing legislation. 15. JCC members drew attention to the economic and social rights that are established in the Charter of Fundamental rights, which has now been incorporated in the Lisbon Treaty. They stressed, in particular, the importance of the right to equal treatment and equal opportunities in all areas of life and work. 16. They also insisted in this context on the application of women and children s rights, and welcomed the progress that has been achieved in countering domestic violence. This is due, in particular, to the positive role which the Ombudsmen play within the institutional framework of Croatia and to the role played by civil society organisations working in the field. 17. The participants also examined the issue of gender equality in the labour market and called on the national authorities to develop further statistical tools that will help lawmakers to adopt appropriate legislation.

29 The participants recommended that further training opportunities be provided for civil servants working in the judiciary, to ensure that legislation on gender equality and anti discrimination laws is implemented properly. They also called on the government of Croatia to devote the necessary means to this policy area so that existing antidiscrimination legislation is implemented. 19. The eighth meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee will take place in Zagreb during the second semester of 2010.

30 - 30-6th meeting, 13 October 2009, Zagreb CONCLUSIONS issued by the two co-presidents, Ms Lidija Pavić-Rogošić and Ms Waltraud Klasnic The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) represents the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Croatian civil society organisations. The JCC complements the bodies already set up within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia, and allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and prepare Croatia's accession. It also plays an essential role in disseminating information in the EU and in Croatia, and in initiating debates on issues of common interest among the public. The JCC is currently presided by Ms Lidija Pavić-Rogošić, Director of ODRAZ - a Croatian NGO that designs and applies the concept of sustainable development for the benefit of the local community - and Ms Waltraud Klasnic, EESC member (Employers' Group, Austria) and former Governor of Styria. The JCC is made up of twelve members, six from the EESC and six from Croatian civil society organisations. 1. At this sixth meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia JCC were honoured by the participation of Ms Rebecca Söderberg, First Secretary of the Embassy of Sweden to the Republic of Croatia, representing the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The members were also pleased to welcome Ms Dubravka Vlašić Pleše, director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, and Mr Martin Mayer, Political Advisor in the Delegation of the European Commission to the Republic of Croatia, who gave a presentation on the state of accession negotiations. 2. The JCC members praised the progress that had been made towards resolving the border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia. The two sides had reached an agreement at prime ministerial level on 11 September 2009 to break the deadlock in the accession talks and continue the negotiations towards a settlement. This will hopefully allow Croatia's accession negotiations to continue and reach the final phase in the first half of EN

31 The participants discussed the state of play of the accession negotiations between the EU and Croatia. They welcomed the major breakthrough that had been made thanks to the opening of six new chapters and the provisional closing of five chapters at the 8th meeting of the Accession conference at ministerial level, held on 2 October They noted that so far twenty-eight out of thirty-three chapters had been opened and that twelve of them had been provisionally closed. 4. The members were especially pleased that the latest provisionally closed chapters included the chapters on the freedom of movement of workers and company law, since they are of particular relevance to the activities of social partners and civil society organisations. 5. The members also expressed the hope that the chapters that are ready to be dealt with from a technical point of view would soon be opened or closed. The Committee reiterated its call to the Croatian authorities to consult social partners and civil society organisations properly and systematically during the accession negotiations. The participants then discussed the reports on sustainable development and on transport. 6. JCC members highlighted the importance of developing sustainable development strategies in which all stakeholders could be brought on board to work on a long-term vision of sustainability. The aim is to ensure that economic growth, social cohesion and environmental protection can go hand in hand and be mutually supporting. 7. They further noted that the current economic crisis was an opportunity to address the financial and ecological sustainability issues, and to develop a dynamic, low-carbon, resource-efficient, knowledge-based and socially inclusive society. 8. They also called for further coordination between the EU sustainable development strategy and the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs. 9. JCC members welcomed the adoption of the 2007 Sustainable Development Strategy in the Republic of Croatia. However, they regretted the fact that the process of including and consulting social partners and civil society organisations in the implementation of this strategy was lagging behind. 10. The participants welcomed the creation in the Republic of Croatia of a Council for Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection, but regretted that no representatives of the social partners had been nominated as members. They asked the Croatian authorities to give more financial and administrative support to the work of this Council. 11. JCC members pointed out that coordination between ministries and other administrative bodies in Croatia needs to be improved if the sustainable development strategy is to be implemented effectively.

32 They stressed that successful implementation of sustainable development strategies, either in the EU or in Croatia, requires the mobilisation of all forces and capabilities as well as broad public participation in decision-making, including at local level. 13. JCC members held a preliminary discussion about transport policy and noted that the current discussion between the EU and the governments about the Transport Community Treaty are of major political and economic importance for the region and for Croatia. 14. As the Transport Community Treaty will be one of the main topics of the 3rd Western Balkan Civil Society Forum to take place in Brussels in June 2010, the JCC members decided to include this subject on the agenda of their next meeting. This will allow them to prepare indepth joint positions on ongoing political developments. 15. In addition to this follow-up on transport policy, JCC members will also tackle the issue of economic and social rights. 16. The 7th meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee will take place in Brussels in April 2010.

33 - 33-5th meeting, 5 May 2009, Prague CONCLUSIONS issued by the two co-presidents, Ms Lidija Pavić-Rogošić and Ms Waltraud Klasnic The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) represents the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Croatian civil society organisations. The JCC complements the bodies already existing within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia and allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and prepare Croatia's accession. It also plays an essential role in disseminating information in the EU and Croatia and in initiating debates on issues of common interest among citizens. The JCC is currently chaired by Ms Lidija Pavić-Rogošić, Director of ODRAZ - a Croatian NGO that designs and applies the concept of sustainable development for the benefit of the local community - and Ms Waltraud Klasnic, EESC member (Employers' Group, Austria) and former Governor of Styria. The JCC is made up of twelve members, six from the EESC and six from Croatian civil society organisations. For this fifth meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia JCC were honoured by the participation of Mr Radek Pech, high level representative of the Czech Presidency of the EU. Mr Pech is Director of the EU General Affairs Department within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The members were also pleased at the very active contribution of Ms Ana-Marija Žuvan during the meeting. Ms Žuvan is the Head of Department for Education within the Directorate for Support for Croatia's EU Accession Process, in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia. JCC members were also honoured by the presence of Mr Zvonimir Sviben, Minister Counsellor, representing the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia to the Czech Republic. The participants discussed the state of play of accession negotiations between the EU and Croatia. They welcomed the progress made since the last meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee in October They noted that so far, twenty-two out of thirty-three chapters had been opened and welcomed the opening of chapter 5 on public procurement in December They also expressed their satisfaction with the fact that four more chapters had been provisionally closed since October 2008, bringing the total number of provisionally closed chapters to seven. The members were EN

34 especially pleased that these included chapter 7 on Intellectual Property Law and chapter 10 on the Information Society and Media, as they are particularly relevant to civil society organisations. The members also expressed the hope that the twelve chapters that are ready from the technical point of view would soon be opened or closed. The border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia is a matter of concern for JCC members. Civil society representatives hoped that a solution satisfactory to both parties would be found as soon as possible. They called on the political authorities from both sides to maintain dialogue and to find a mutually acceptable solution that would unblock the negotiations as soon as possible. This would allow Croatia s accession negotiations to continue and to reach the final phase by late They also expressed their support for the European Commission's ongoing efforts to resolve the border dispute. The JCC also called for work to continue on the remaining chapters. The Committee reiterated its call to the Croatian authorities asking them to consult civil society organisations properly and systematically during the accession negotiations. The JCC regretted that the Accession Conference initially scheduled for 27 March had been postponed twice. The participants discussed the two reports on flexicurity. Flexicurity was defined as a policy model combining flexibility and security for employers and employees. The following statement by the European Commission encapsulates the key challenge for policy-making: "This concept of flexicurity is a way of ensuring that employers and workers feel they have the flexibility, but also the security they need". Joint Consultative Committee members pointed out some examples of good practice in a few European countries that had managed to implement a flexicurity system satisfactorily. However, the current economic crisis must be taken into account. In this respect, the members stressed that the flexicurity model should be kept as a mechanism which would ensure that the burden of the reform would not have unilateral effects. The members also agreed that for any reform of the labour market to be successful in implementing greater flexicurity, the following prerequisites had to be met: The social security system should be sufficiently developed to ensure that a more flexible labour market will not decrease workers living standards. A real social dialogue is needed, based on trust between social partners and a stable framework for collective bargaining. The social partners should be actively included in implementing reforms aimed at a more flexicurity-oriented labour market. Their active involvement is an essential factor in the success of any flexicurity policy. Lifelong learning should be made available to all stakeholders, especially workers, so that their skills can be adapted to the rapidly changing needs of the market. This is a key element in sustaining a satisfactory employment rate.

35 Effective implementation of active labour market policies. Regarding these four prerequisites, JCC members acknowledged that the situation of every EU Member State is different. Accordingly, they emphasised that there is no one-size-fits-all system for flexicurity. During the discussion, it emerged that the Croatian social partners had different views about flexicurity. In this respect, JCC members stressed the importance of the ongoing negotiations on chapter 19, dealing with Social Policy and Employment. The members of the Joint Consultative Committee further expressed the following recommendations: The JCC calls on the government of Croatia to further develop social dialogue in the Republic of Croatia, based on the principles of mutual recognition and respect. The Croatian Economic and Social Committee should prepare a strategy to advance social dialogue, with the support of the European Commission. The goals of the lifelong learning programmes should be set with the medium-term objective of helping the Croatian workforce. In so doing, special attention should be paid to less skilled workers. Comprehensive strategies for lifelong learning should be established and implemented on a tripartite basis. The European Commission should support this initiative which could significantly improve the socio-economic situation in Croatia. The European Commission should work with the Croatian Government to set up an independent statistical institute that would collect data on the labour market. It appears that there is a lack of such studies, although they would provide major added value to the work of the social partners and the Croatian Government. This would allow them to work on shared and objective data, with a view to properly assessing where and how the Croatian labour market could operate with greater flexibility and security. The participants then discussed the European Union's communication policy regarding enlargement, as well as Croatia's accession. They stressed the importance of communicating the enlargement process properly to citizens. They further highlighted that a well targeted and efficient communication policy should be backed by strong political commitment. In this respect, the members welcomed the efforts of the Croatian Government and particularly the Communication Strategy that was adopted by the Croatian Parliament on 27 January They stressed that these efforts should continue and that the focus should be kept both on decentralisation and on communicating with young people. The members stated that communication helps to develop a sense of ownership of and support for the enlargement process, in the EU and in Croatia. They also agreed on the following good practices as regards communication policy:

36 The acquis must be transposed and implemented across the entire administration, together with all the connected expertise. This will facilitate communication about enlargement since trained civil servants can act as vectors able to disseminate knowledge about EU laws and policies. Civil society organisations should have a stronger role and be associated with the government of Croatia and any European Commission initiative focusing on communication strategy. Located at the crossroads between citizens, government and the EU institutions, organised civil society is in a key position to disseminate information among the general populace, by means of conferences, publications, workshops, etc. Detailed information about changes and opportunities in relation to EU membership should be made available to the general public. Online didactic websites are important communication tools and should be further developed. Opening Euro info centre offices in those Croatian cities where they are not already present should be encouraged. Disseminating information in rural areas is also important. Croatian civil society organisations already have an important role in the information dissemination process and in educating stakeholders on issues regarding Croatia's accession negotiations. This process should be further developed. Civil society organisations from EU Member States should be included in these activities. The Croatian Government and the EU should recognise their role and support them. In addition to the ongoing monitoring of accession negotiations, the JCC will deal specifically with the issue of transport policy as well as sustainable development as a cross-cutting theme during its sixth meeting. This will take place in October 2009 in Croatia.

37 - 37-4th meeting, 16 October 2008, Opatija CONCLUSIONS Issued by the two co-presidents, Ms Lidija Horvatić and Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) is made up of twelve members, six from each side, representing the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and civil society organisations of Croatia. The JCC is chaired by Ms Lidija Horvatić, Director for International Relations of the Croatian Employers Association (HUP) and Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund, EU adviser for the Federal Committee of Liberal Professions (Austria) and former President of the EESC. The JCC complements the bodies already existing within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia. It allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and to prepare the accession of Croatia. It also plays an essential role in disseminating information both in the EU and Croatia and in initiating debates on issues of common interest among citizens. For this fourth meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia JCC were honoured by the presence of Mr Joško Klisović, Secretary of the Negotiating Group and Director of the Directorate for the Support to the Accession Process of the Republic of Croatia to the EU, Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration; H.E. Mr François Saint-Paul, Ambassador of France to Croatia, representing the French Presidency of the EU Council; and Mr Vincent Degert, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Croatia. The participants discussed the state of play of accession negotiations between the EU and Croatia. They warmly welcomed the latest progress made: they took note that so far twenty-one chapters have been opened for negotiations, of which three have been provisionally closed, including chapter 20 on "Enterprise and Industrial Policy", which was discussed during the second meeting of the JCC. Croatia submitted negotiating positions for ten more chapters and expects therefore their opening before the end of the French Presidency of the EU Council. The JCC also called for the effective continuation of work on all the other chapters and especially chapter 19 on "Social Policy and Employment", which was discussed during the last meeting of the JCC. EN

38 The participants stressed that negotiations on more demanding chapters are now under way, which will require even more effort from the Croatian authorities. In these circumstances, and despite a tight schedule, the proper consultation of civil society organisations is essential and should be systematic. The participants discussed the two reports prepared in relation to the content of chapter 28 of the acquis communautaire, i.e. "Consumer and Health Protection". In line with this, the following recommendations were made: the Croatian authorities should step up their efforts in all fields and the EU institutions should increase their support so that the negotiations on chapter 28 can progress quickly and be successfully concluded; there has been good progress in the area of consumer and health protection and a good level of alignment with the acquis has already been reached. The Croatian authorities should maintain and increase their efforts in the field of legislation dealing with public health, particularly on blood, tissues and cells; although Croatia has by now established a strong consumer movement backed by continuous information, support should be given to further development of the capacities of Croatian consumer organisations at national and local level. Relations with EU consumer organisations should be intensified and exchanges of know-how could be supported financially by the European Commission; the participants took note of the good level of health infrastructure and professionals in Croatia, and therefore call upon Croatian authorities to adequately address the administrative shortcomings in this sector. The participants also discussed the two reports prepared in relation to the concepts of social and civil dialogue. In line with this, the following recommendations may be made: the participants took note of the variety of institutional frameworks which were set up and which aim at taking forward cooperation between civil society organisations and the state; although civil society organisations are increasingly making their mark as legitimate players in the decision-making process, the level of dialogue between the state and organised civil society should be further improved and become more frequent and systematic; in order to be able to articulate their positions clearly and defend their interests vis-à-vis the state, civil society organisations need to be provided with further know-how on lobbying and advocacy techniques, and thus cooperation with civil society organisations of the EU should be intensified; the participants also took note of the well established institutional framework in Croatia (Economic and Social Councils at national, regional and local level), and of the role of the social partners in the EU integration process that is an example of effective cooperation; in order to further develop bipartite social dialogue, social partners relations must have mutual trust based on a real willingness to work together and a genuine commitment to achieve shared goals;

39 the social partners have to be ready to acquire new knowledge and skills on an ongoing basis, especially on EU matters that will enable them to attract new members and to employ relevant specialists. The EESC will support the achievement of these goals; the participants agreed that additional training should be organised to further develop capacities for tripartite social dialogue of all three sides: social partners, involved in shaping public policies, and Government, at all levels. Ms Karin Enodd, Member of the EFTA Consultative Committee, made a presentation on "The European Economic Agreement: what impact for the social partners? How to deal with gender balance?" During the discussion, the participants stressed the need for favouring gender balance at the workplace, both in Croatia and in the EU. In addition to the ongoing monitoring of the accession negotiations, the JCC will deal specifically with the issue of flexicurity during its fifth meeting. This will take place in April 2009 in Brussels.

40 - 40-3rd meeting, 16 April 2008, Vienna CONCLUSIONS Issued by the two co-presidents, Ms Lidija Horvatić and Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund The EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) is made of twelve members, six from each side, representing the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and civil society organisations of Croatia. The JCC is chaired by Ms Lidija Horvatić, Director for International Relations of the Croatian Employers Association (HUP) and Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund, EU adviser for the Federal Committee of Liberal Professions (Austria) and former President of the EESC. The JCC complements the bodies already existing within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia. It allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and to prepare the accession of Croatia. It also plays an essential role in disseminating information both in the EU and Croatia and in initiating debates on issues of common interest among citizens. For this third meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia JCC were honoured by the presence of Mr Krešimir Ćosić, Member of the Croatian Parliament, Ms Tatjana Kovačič (Embassy of Slovenia to Austria), representing the Presidency of the EU Council, Ms Jasna Ognjanovac, Deputy Head of the Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the European Communities, Ms Katja de Sadeleer (Directorate- General for Enlargement), representing the European Commission, and Ms Zdenka Petrovic, Member of the Board, Inclusion Europe. The participants discussed the state of play of accession negotiations between the EU and Croatia. They warmly welcomed the latest progresses made: they took note that so far sixteen chapters have been opened for negotiations, out of which two have been provisionally closed (chapters 25 and 26). Croatia submitted negotiating positions for five more chapters. It expects therefore their opening before the end of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council. The JCC also called for the effective continuation of work on all the other chapters. EN

41 The participants discussed the two reports prepared in relation to the content of chapter 19 of the acquis communautaire, i.e. "Social Policy and Employment". In line with this, the following recommendations may be made: the Croatian authorities should step up their efforts in all fields and the EU institutions should increase their support so that the negotiations on chapter 19 can progress quickly and be successfully concluded by the end of this year; the Croatian authorities should complete as soon as possible the national anti-discrimination plan and proceed with the necessary reform of the office of the ombudsman; the Croatian authorities as well as social partners should maintain and increase their efforts in strengthening administrative capacity and legislative implementation in the field of social policy and employment; all Croatian stakeholders should reach an agreement in the field of women s protection during pregnancy and maternity; all Croatian stakeholders should resolve the outstanding issues of ensuring more effectiveness and autonomy of social dialogue; all Croatian stakeholders should maintain and encourage all opportunities for broader-based civil dialogue. Ms Zdenka Petrovic, Member of the Board of Inclusion Europe, presented the situation of the inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities in Croatia, within the context of the forthcoming entry into force of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. During the discussion, the participants stressed the need for support services tailored to the individual needs of the person and of the family. Mr Krešimir Ćosić, Member of the Croatian Parliament, presented the work of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). The participants underlined their will to further cooperate with the JPC and to be regularly informed about its work. They proposed that the two co-presidents of the JCC could present regularly the work of the JCC to the members of the JPC. In addition to the ongoing monitoring of the accession negotiations, the JCC will deal specifically with the issue of consumer and health protection (chapter 28), the concepts of civil and social dialogue as well as gender issues at its next meeting. It will take place in October 2008 in Croatia.

42 - 42-2nd meeting, 5 October 2007, Split CONCLUSIONS Issued by the two co-presidents, Ms Lidija Horvatić and Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund The EU-Croatia Civil Society Follow-up Committee is made of twelve members, six from each side, representing the European Economic and Social Committee and civil society organisations of Croatia. The Follow-up Committee is chaired by Ms Lidija Horvatić, Director for International Relations of the Croatian Employers Association (HUP) and Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund, EU adviser for the Federal Committee of Liberal Professions (Austria) and former President of the EESC. The Follow-up Committee complements the bodies already existing within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia. It allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations and to prepare the accession of Croatia. It also plays an essential role in disseminating information both in the EU and Croatia and in initiating debates on issues of common interest among citizens. For this second meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia Civil Society Follow-up Committee were honoured by the presence of Mrs Marija Pejčinović Burić, State Secretary for European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, Mr Dimitris Dimitriadis, President of the European Economic and Social Committee, H.E Luís José Moreira da Silva Barreiros, Ambassador of Portugal to Croatia, representing the Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, and Mr David Hudson, Head of the Political, Economic, Trade and Press & Information Section (Delegation of the European Commission to Croatia). The participants discussed the two reports prepared in relation to the content of chapter 20 of the acquis communautaire, i.e. "Enterprise and Industrial Policy". They noted and welcomed the good process initiated by the Croatian authorities in order to elaborate a full-fledged industrial strategy. They also noted that the implementation of the European Charter for Small Enterprises is going on smoothly. Nevertheless, the restructuring of public enterprises should be speeded up. The Croatian authorities should also adopt more measures enabling more competitiveness for enterprises. Furthermore, the continuation of the current resolute fight in an integrated approach against EN

43 corruption would also directly contribute to a more favourable business environment, including attraction of foreign investments. The participants also stressed that privatisations as well as reductions of state aids recommended within the context of accession negotiations should be undertaken in a way to preserve social cohesion. Social partners should be involved at all stages of those processes. Retraining of workers should also be offered. The participants discussed the state of play of accession negotiations between the EU and Croatia. They warmly welcomed the latest progresses made: they took note that so far twelve chapters have been opened for negotiations, out of which two have been provisionally closed (chapters 25 and 26). Croatia submitted negotiating positions for further seven chapters: Consumer and Health Protection; External Relations; Trans-European Networks; Transport Policy; Energy; Freedom of movement for workers; Financial and Budgetary Provisions. It expects therefore their opening during the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers. Croatia sent documents necessary for the fulfilment of the opening benchmarks for two chapters: Justice, Freedom and Security; and Social Policy and Employment. The Follow-up Committee also called for the effective continuation of work on all the other chapters. The participants also discussed the draft opinion on "Croatia on the way to accession" prepared by Mrs Sigmund. They agreed that organised civil society is not only an important consultative partner in the process of shaping opinions and policy during the accession round, but that it will also have a vital and continuing role to play after the accession. Efficient civil society organisations, which meet the essential qualitative and quantitative representativeness criteria, are essential for breathing life into the participatory element of a modern democracy. They will be essential to Croatia, as a new EU member State, in the implementation of the country s new legislation. Finally, the Follow-up Committee decided to change its name into "EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee". In addition to the ongoing monitoring of the accession negotiations, the Joint Consultative Committee will deal specifically with the issue of "Social policy and Employment" (chapter 19) at its next meeting. It will take place in March 2008.

44 - 44-1st meeting, 12 March 2007, Brussels CONCLUSIONS Issued by the two co-presidents, Ms Lidija Horvatić and Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund The EU-Croatia Civil Society Follow-up Committee is made of twelve members, six from each side, representing the EESC and civil society organisations of Croatia. Permanent observers (maximum of three from each side) and observers will also participate in its works. The Follow-up Committee will be chaired by Ms Lidija Horvatić, Director for International Relations of the Croatian Employers Association (HUP) and Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund, EU adviser for the Federal Committee of Liberal Professions (Austria) and former President of the EESC. The Follow-up Committee will complement the bodies already existing within the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the EU and Croatia. It will allow civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the accession negotiations from the point of view of civil society and to prepare the accession of Croatia. The Follow-up Committee will also play an essential role in disseminating information both in the EU and Croatia and in initiating debates on issues of common interest among citizens. For this first meeting, the members of the EU-Croatia Civil Society Follow-up Committee were honoured by the presence of Mrs Marija Pejčinović Burić, State Secretary for European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, Mr Dimitris Dimitriadis, President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Mr Jan Truszczyński, Deputy Director-General at the DG Enlargement (European Commission), and Mr Rafael Daerr, representative of the German Presidency of the EU. The participants discussed the state of play of accession negotiations between the EU and Croatia. They took note that after the end of the screening process in October 2006, negotiations are going on smoothly. Nevertheless, more efforts will be needed from Croatia, especially in the fields of reform of the judicial system and public administration and of fight against corruption. The participants underlined that the implementation of new legislation is of crucial importance for the success of the accession process. CES _00_00_TRA_TCD EN