The European Commission is initiating a lawsuit against Croatia at the European Court of Justice due to the lack of ratification of the charter for connecting with the intergovernmental organization Eurocontrol for air navigation safety control and airspace management.
In October 2002, the Commission negotiated a protocol that made the EU a part of Eurocontrol, which involves more than 40 countries. The Council of Europe concluded the protocol in 2004, but for it to come into force, it must be ratified by the newer EU member states, which Croatia has failed to do.
– Despite numerous exchanges of letters with Croatian authorities from March 2014 to the present, no measures necessary for the ratification of the Protocol have yet been taken. Therefore, the Commission is referring the case against Croatia to the Court of the European Union – states the press release from the European Commission published on November 17.
The Commission believes that because it has still not ratified the Protocol, Croatia is not fulfilling its obligations under Article 4, paragraph 3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). This article establishes the principle of sincere cooperation and emphasizes the obligation of member states to facilitate the achievement of the objectives of the European Union and to refrain from measures that could jeopardize the achievement of the Union’s objectives.
