The European Commission defended, on Tuesday 16 June, its action to monitor the Croatian police at the borders with Serbia or Bosnia-Herzegovina, following revelations in the Guardian that it had sought to hide embarrassing information from the European Parliament.
The newspaper revealed internal e-mails in which the Commission was concerned about the potential scandal created by its choice not to fully disclose a report on Croatia's lack of commitment to a border monitoring mechanism. Before responding to the Parliament, one official warned a colleague that the Croatian government’s failure to use money earmarked two years ago for border police “will for sure be seen as a ‘scandal’”.
However, this internal exchange was mistakenly sent to Clare Daly (GUE/NGL, Ireland), explains the Commission, which rejects all allegations of a cover-up. The report could not be transferred because it was “incomplete”, the Commission said.
Its “intention has always been, and remains, the establishment of a fully independent border monitoring mechanism in Croatia”. At the time of the exchanges with Ms Daly, the “Commission was in the process of following up with the Croatian authorities in order to receive all the details”.
Once submitted by Zagreb, the report was not amended either. The Commission is still analysing it. Zagreb says it still intends to carry out this monitoring mission. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)