The Croatian Labour Party will not support the announced changes to the Declaration on the Fundamental Principles of Negotiations on Full Membership of the Republic of Croatia in the European Union by which the government proposed that the people of Croatia decide on the accession to the European Union at a referendum.
The Labour Party said that by pushing for the amendments to the declaration, the government was showing lack of confidence in citizens.
"The Labour Party believes in the people of Croatia and we will not support the changes to the declaration," the party said in a statement signed by president Dragutin Lesar.
The statement also recalled that the Croatian parliament adopted the declaration in January 2005.
Under the announced changes, the people of Croatia will decide on the EU accession at a referendum which will be held within 30 days of the signing of the accession agreement between Croatia and the EU, the Labour Party said in the statement. Depending on referendum results, parliament will launch the ratification process, the statement said.
Croatian Parliament Deputy Speaker Vladimir Seks recently announced that "parliament will soon amend a provision of the declaration on fundamental principles of accession to the EU which stipulates the holding of the referendum before the signing of the accession treaty in order that the amended provision stipulate the organisation of the referendum after the signing of the accession treaty with the EU."
