WRITTEN QUESTION E-1955/04 by Tobias Pflüger (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (1 September 2004)

How does the Commission view the honouring of ministers of the fascist Ustasha regime in Croatia with regard to Croatia's application to join the EU?

According to reports in newspapers (including the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of 28 August 2004), the Croatian Government has not yet taken any measures to prevent Mile Budak being honoured with a plaque. Budak was Minister for Education and Religion and Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany's fascist puppet state, the 'Independent State of Croatia', during the Second World War and campaigned for the Ustasha regime's race laws, which led to the extermination of Jews in Yugoslavia.

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the commission (14.10.2004)

On 21 August 2004 a granite memorial plaque dedicated to Mile Budak (ex NDH (Nezavisna Drzava Hrvatska) official during the Second World War), was set into the wall in the village of Sveti Rok (Dalmatian hinterland). The Government of Croatia expressed its displeasure over the appearance of the memorial. It stated that local authorities were in charge of its removal. Since the Municipality failed to do so, the Government, at its extraordinary session of 26 August 2004, decided to remove the monument, as well as the one dedicated to another NDH official, Jure Francetic, which was erected in 2000 in his home town Slunj. It explained that the fascist memorials harm Croatia's reputation and are detrimental to the country’s interest. On 27 August 2004, special police forces removed both memorials in Sveti Rok and in Slunj.

In addition, the Government is planning to present to the Parliament a draft law on Monuments and amendments to the Criminal Code which would ban the glorification and promotion of totalitarian regimes. The Croatian Government therefore appear determined to continue with its pro-European policy, clearly distancing itself from the fascist Ustasha movement of World War II.