Refugees, dislocated persons and returnees are encountering with various difficulties  

On International Refugee day June 20th members of the Coalition for promotion and protection of Human rights, alliance of nine none-governmental organizations who are implementing activities on promotion and protection of human rights, are addressing the media to remind Croatian public on the difficult destiny refugees all around the world, as well as on the presence of refugees on the southeast region of Europe, including Republic of Croatia and their specific problems and uncertain faith. The Government of Republic of Croatia had made some effort into final solution of refugee/dislocated persons issues, but in spite of that various problems with which refugees, dislocated persons and returnees are faced with still remains unresolved and opened.

Removing of obstacles to sustainable return and bringing to an end a process of return is going along quite slow and in a large measure are determined by the amending state budget by which are funds significant reduced for rebuilding and housing of the returnees, which is going to slow down already slow process of return, problems in work of governing authorities and incomplete legal frameworks. Discrepancy of laws relevant for returnees, especially ones without Croatian citizenship, and un-standardized practice are making individual rights for returnees more difficult, and in that way keeping the sustainable return some what questionable.

Key issues for monitoring and assessment of achieved results of implementation of program for housing and reparation are un-transparent in work of ministry of regional development, forest and water management and its regional offices and un-aviable of relevant information.

Buying up of flats, as one of the models of housing of the former carriers of tenant rights beyond the areas of special government care for which it was more then 50% of total number of people who filled a petition, still isn’t precise. Offered contracts on leases sill aren’t in compliance with the Law for renting a flats, and a procedure which precedes the signing of a contract without clear need is complicated and costly for the beneficiaries.

Disobeying and non-compliance of court decisions regarding the recognition of protected lessees of the former carriers of tenancy rights in Vukovar is shown by the decisions of the mentioned Ministry which awards those flats to some other beneficiaries.

Large number of unresolved complaints in the procedures of realizing rights to rebuilt damaged or destroyed family houses in the war represents an obstacle to the return.

As the large number of refugees and dislocated persons are waiting to resolve their status, Republic of Croatia, besides what has already been done, it needs to take additional efforts on normative, and especially implementing level, so that all who wish to come back could do so and to ensure measures for complete integration into areas in which are they returning to.

Executive director
Jelena Josic