Abstract:

On its path to the European Union, Croatia had to fulfill a number of requirements. The EU defined the accession requirements at the meeting of the European Council in Copenhagen in 1993. The first group of requirements included the protection of human rights, especially minority rights. The protection of minorities was especially important in the context of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia. In the 1990’s Croatia became party to the international agreements of the Council of Europe related to the protection of minorities: Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. By ratifying these agreements Croatia has become subject to international monitoring of the application of its international obligations. The analyses of reports of monitoring bodies can show to what extent Croatia has succeeded in the implementation of these agreements.

Keywords: