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This report is a joint effort of a group of Croatian civil society organizations (CSOs) with a long-standing track record in the area of human rights protection: B.a.B.e. – Be Active Be Emancipated, ZINH - Association of Investigative Journalists of Croatia, Centre for Peace, Non-violence and Human Rights Osijek, CESI – Centre for Education, Counselling and Research, CMS – Centre for Peace Studies, Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past, GOLJP – Civic Committee for Human Rights, Human Rights House Zagreb, GONG, Green Action, Right to the City, Centre for LGBT Equality, SDF – Serbian Democratic Forum and Transparency International Croatia.

We have embarked on this endeavour to enable access to relevant information to Croatian voters prior to the EU accession referendum, so that they can make an informed decision based on their own conclusion of Croatia's respect for EU, but more importantly, its own standards regarding the rule of law and status of human rights' protection. We also wish to provide additional, independent information and perspective to the European Commission prior to its March 2011 Progress Report on Croatia, on issues which the Croatian institutions have, in our opinion, failed to address adequately so far.

It is our opinion that at this time – mid February 2011 – Croatia is not yet ready to close Chapter 23, given the Chapter's essence, i.e. ensuring adequate levels of the rule of law by means of an effective judiciary and human rights protection mechanisms. Namely, closing of Chapter 23 should mean that positive changes in the rule of law are irreversible, which is still not the case. In some crucial benchmarks we have identified lack of evidence of sincere political will to ensure that reform initiatives result in tangible positive improvements for everyday lives of Croatian citizens. Furthermore, significant challenges remain in some normative solutions, but more importantly, there are insufficient guarantees of sustainable implementation capacities.

However, it is our sincere belief that the specific legislative and especially implementation measures that we propose can be implemented by the Croatian Government and Parliament by mid June 2011, if these issues are indeed recognized as a political priority. The adoption of the proposed mid-term obligations would be proof of such a standing commitment, regardless of the configuration of the future ruling structures.