US embassy cable - 04ZAGREB1988

UNCLAS ZAGREB 001988 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
LABOR FOR DOL/ILAB/OFR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ELAB, PREL, ECON, HR 
SUBJECT: CROATIA'S EU MEMBERSHIP NEGOTIATION PREPARATIONS 
OFF TO SLOW START 
 
 
SUMMARY AND COMMENT 
------------------- 
1.  (SBU) Despite public statements that Croatia is ready to 
start and conclude EU membership negotiations, a lack of 
coordination has characterized the beginning of the process. 
The GoC has delayed naming its negotiating team until it 
receives a date to open negotiations.  Though including NGOs 
and unions in the negotiating process might help bolster 
flagging support for accession, union leaders doubt they will 
be welcome as real participants in the negotiating process. 
END SUMMARY AND COMMENT 
 
LOTS OF BROTH, NOT ENOUGH COOKS 
------------------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) PM Sanader has publicly backed away from early 
promises to "catch up" to Romania and Bulgaria, instead 
pledging to start negotiations in early 2005 and close all 
acquis chapters within two years.  Yet despite the PM's 
request for a concrete start date at the December 17 EU 
Ministerial, a lack of coordination within the GoC on the 
negotiating process could lengthen the process.  Thus far the 
PM has named only the delegation heads -- FM Zuzul and 
Minister of European Integration Grabar-Kitarovic. 
 
3.  (SBU) According to the MFA, the GoC will delay setting up 
the rest of negotiating team until after the December 
meeting.   There will be a separate negotiating team for each 
acquis chapter; the composition of each team will depend on 
the acquis chapter, though both the MFA and the Ministry of 
European Integration (MEI) will be represented.  The MFA will 
negotiate the Common Foreign and Security Policy chapter and 
share responsibility for the external assistance chapter with 
the Ministry of Economy. 
 
LABOR UNIONS HAVE THEIR DOUBTS 
------------------------------ 
 
4.  (SBU) The government has promised to make negotiations a 
non-partisan affair including all parties, unions, NGOs, and 
companies, but has yet to send out formal invitations. 
Croatia's largest labor union, the Federation of Independent 
Trade Unions (SSSH), expressed doubts to Emboffs that the 
government would seriously welcome their input on negotiating 
teams.  SSSH is eager and willing to participate in 
negotiating teams for acquis chapters that concern labor 
issues.  Though SSSH strongly supports EU membership, it 
fears the GoC will try to close chapters as quickly as 
possible rather than negotiate a good deal for Croatia. 
(COMMENT:  The SSSH may overestimate how much actual 
negotiating there will be, to judge from the experience of 
recent EU candidate countries similar to Croatia.) 
 
5.  (SBU) In exchange for inclusion in the negotiating 
process, SSSH is prepared to mobilize its 215,000-member base 
in a pro-EU campaign but feels the GoC doesn't take its offer 
seriously.  As public support for EU membership dips below 50 
percent -- and a referendum seems likely -- the GoC knows it 
will need to engage the public in the process.  Union leaders 
and MFA officials agree that a fringe euro-skeptic campaign 
has met with some success only because the GoC has yet to 
mount a serious pro-EU challenge. 
DELAWIE 
 
 
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