Croatia aligned 683 laws with acquis before joining EU

Zagreb - From the beginning of legislative alignment until Croatia joined the European Union last July, the Croatian parliament adopted 683 aligned laws, according to Friday's parliamentary discussion on a plan to align national legislation with the EU acquis, under which 42 laws need to be aligned this year. 

Croatia met all its accession process obligations during the entry talks, but the acquis continually develops and Croatia, as a member country, has the obligation to align its regulations with the new acquis, said Deputy Foreign Minister Josko Klisovic.

By joining the EU, Croatia entered a new alignment stage in which it changes its laws alongside other member countries, he added, highlighting parliament's role in the process. Klisovic said that since 2003, when the process began, parliament had passed 683 aligned laws, including 152 last year.

Twelve laws are expected to be aligned by this spring, under a plan defined by the government, including laws relating to consumers and a more efficient use of energy.
Another 11 laws are expected to be aligned by summer, including amendments to the VAT Act, the Penal Code, and the law on judicial cooperation in criminal matters with EU countries. Laws on the media and electronic media are expected to be aligned by year's end. (Hina)