Saturday

1st Apr 2023

EU demands answers on Croat border attacks against migrants

  • Injuries allegedly caused by Croat border police (Photo: Danish Refugee Council)

The European Commission is pressing the Croat government over allegations its police abused migrants along its borders.

A three-page letter from the European Commission sent late October to Croatia, and seen by this website, asks for details into the abuse.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

In it, EU commissioner Ylva Johansson demands Croatia's deputy prime minister Davor Bozinovic to disclose the number of allegations received and investigated by the Croat authorities over the past three months.

She also wants to know "how many of them have resulted in follow-up action" and to what extent the investigations are objective and impartial.

The Croatian government has in the past denied it all and claims the injuries are most likely due to fighting among the migrants themselves.

The denial comes despite complaints filed with Croatia's Public Attorney's Office by civil society groups like the Croatian Law Centre and Croatia's Ombudsman's Office.

The whole is part of a larger bid first announced over the summer to dispatch commission officials to Croatia to make sure the rights of migrants are being respected.

Johansson is hoping to send people sometime this month.

"My services will be in touch with you regarding the exact scope and objectives of this visit, which we would consider necessary to take place as soon as possible in November 2020," she writes.

The letter comes as the EU's administrative watchdog this week launched an inquiry against the European Commission over the issue.

Amnesty International, an NGO, had filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman. They said the commission had failed to address persistent allegations of serious human rights abuses by Croatian authorities.

A so-called "monitoring mechanism" was launched in 2018 in an effort to guarantee the respect of fundamental rights at the Croat borders.

Some €300,000 of EU funds were set aside for it. Amnesty says most of the funds went elsewhere as evidence of abuse against migrants continued to mount.

In her letter, Johansson describes such allegations and evidence as "very concerning."

She further requests Bozinovic to shore up the monitoring mechanism and support Croatia's ombudswoman to better reinforce rights and follow-up complaints.

She also asks him to explain why authorities are not properly registering the finger prints of migrants and asylum seekers into the EU's database, Eurodac.

Johansson says such registrations are required to make sure the rules underpinning the travel free Schengen zone are met.

EU watchdog launches probe on Croat border violence

The European Ombudsman is launching a case into the lack of proper oversight by the European Commission when it comes to how fundamental rights of migrants and refugees are allegedly being violated by Croat border police.

EU Commission to probe Croat border attacks on migrants

Refugee and asylum seeker hopefuls are showing up with horrific injuries, including broken bones and collapsed lungs, after entering Croatia. NGOs blame a militarised Croatian police force for the abuse. The Commission now wants to monitor the border.

Opinion

Migrants in Bosnia: a disaster foretold on EU doorstep

Ultimately, the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, only unveiled in September, risks reinforcing bottlenecks and misery at the borders, should be thoroughly amended before final agreement.

Agenda

Brexit and EU online summit in focus This WEEK

Talks between the EU and the UK have moved little, with only seven weeks left until the UK breaks ties with the EU. Negotiations are expected to resume on Monday in Brussels.

Latest News

  1. EU to press South Korea on arming Ukraine
  2. Aid agencies clam up in Congo sex-for-work scandal
  3. Ukraine — what's been destroyed so far, and who pays?
  4. EU sending anti-coup mission to Moldova in May
  5. Firms will have to reveal and close gender pay-gap
  6. Why do 83% of Albanians want to leave Albania?
  7. Police violence in rural French water demos sparks protests
  8. Work insecurity: the high cost of ultra-fast grocery deliveries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains
  2. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  3. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us