I was particularly irritated with that move by which the Sabor prevented Mr. Perkovic's extradition to Germany, Krichbaum said to Croatian reporters in Zagreb, adding though that he was pleased with the fact that Croatia had become a member of the EU.

We are all happy that Croatia is now a full member of the EU, he said, recalling that Germany had given great support to Croatia during the accession process.

Krichbaum who is a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is concerned that Croatia had adopted a law that prevented the application of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) for crimes committed prior to 2002 which meant that Perkovic could not be extradited to Germany who is suspected of masterminding the political assassination of a Croatian emigrant. At the same time he added that he did not think it was up to the EU or Germany to supervise whether Croatia was respecting European regulations.

German lawmakers believe that the European Commission will find the right way to react to the legal changes introduced in Croatia and that a recent message by European Justice Commission Viviane Reding that Croatia would have to implement the EAW was sufficient.

Krichbaum wondered why Croatia adopted the amendments to the law after all EU members had ratified Croatia's accession treaty and just prior to accession when the EAW was to come into force.

My impression is that the law was adopted to protect Perkovic and I don't think that is acceptable, he said, adding that he did not think this was the way one should behave with friends in the EU. He added that the only way to show whether Perkovic was guilty or not was the legal proceedings currently being conducted in Germany.

I cannot speak on behalf of Angela Merkel, he said in response to questions by reporters why Germany's chancellor cancelled her trip to Zagreb to celebrate Croatia's accession to the EU, adding that the Perkovic case did not go unnoticed in Germany.

Krichbaum said that as a parliamentarian he could not interfere in the government's job but believes that Germany is not happy because of this amendment to the law. Croatia can do what is wishes but within the framework of European law which it too has accepted, he recalled.

Krichbaum, attended the celebrations in Zagreb and stressed Croatia's role in preserving peace in Europe and recalled the challenges that faced Croatia as a member of the Union.

By joining the EU, Croatia has been given huge chances, particularly for younger generations, he said.

Croatia will always have Germany's support, our relations are very friendly based on trust, he said describing relations between the two countries and added that Croatians in Germany were very reputable and Germans consider that we share common values.

He commented that reforms in Croatia were lacking and cautioned of the consequences of superficial political solutions. Corruption is not just a problem in countries that wish to join the EU but within the EU there are problems that member states need to resolve in everyone's interest so that citizens can have trust in institutions and processes.

Citizens need to feel the benefits of accession, he said, explaining that Croatia needs to attract foreign investors if it wants to secure prosperity for its citizens and investors require legal security, he added.