"The EU Delegation to Croatia closely follows the preparations for the organisation of the Split Pride, which will take place next 9 June, and the public debate that this event has triggered. We underline the importance of respecting human rights and recall the principles enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union: any discrimination based - among others - on sexual orientation shall be prohibited. The Charter also guarantees the rights to freedom of expression and to freedom of peaceful assembly. The European Union considers fundamental values such as human rights and the rule of law, freedom, solidarity and the respect for diversity as the building blocks of European integration. For this reason, an important part of accession negotiations with Croatia focused on the effectiveness of anti-discrimination policy," the EU delegation said in its press release on Wednesday.

"The EU Delegation welcomes the statements made by the Croatian authorities, including President Josipovic, underlining the importance they attach to the promotion of a culture of tolerance in Croatia. At the same time, the EU Delegation is worried about the homophobic declarations issued by representatives of the local authorities. We are very encouraged by the declared participation of some members of the Government to the event, that the EU Delegation and some Embassies of the EU Member States will also attend."

"We are fully confident that the Croatian Government will take all appropriate measures to ensure that the Split pride event takes place without incidents. The EU Delegation encourages all participants to help create the conditions for a peaceful and very successful outcome of the march," reads the press release.