Zagreb, 22. 01. 2002. (IKA) – In the Croatian Parliament, discussion is scheduled these days on Proposed Changes and Amendments to the Regions of Special Government Protection Act, for the purpose of resolving questions concerning the property rights of physical persons, conferred on a temporary basis to displaced persons and refugees. Article 12 of the Proposal anticipates, among other things, the possibility of temporary and collective lodging in settlements for displaced persons and refugees.
We bishops of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, respecting the right of private ownership, are of the opinion that it is necessary at this moment to act with a particular sense of responsibility for the dignity and rights of displaced persons, refugees and returnees, so as not to inflict new injustices upon them. We therefore appeal to the Government and Parliamentary Representatives not to resort to said solutions, because doing so would subject many refugees and displaced persons who have been driven from their homes to new and difficult-to- bear uncertainties, after having been moved around so much and the great promises made to them, sometimes without taking account of the inviolability of private ownership. We are of the opinion that moving them into collective refugee settlements so many years after the end of the war would dramatically worsen the already grievous situation of these people, and therefore should be ruled out. For those who cannot or do not want to return to the places from which they were expelled, the state must make the maximum efforts to secure permanent housing for them and make it possible for them to acquire the right of ownership. It is difficult for us to believe that the proposed new legal solution is in compliance with the criteria “that are applied on the level of the European Union,” which, among other things, argues for changes in the law that has been in force up to now.