Report on the Performance of Activities of the National Preventive Mechanism for 2015
was used only for accommodation of vulnerable groups after June 2014. Consequently, this can
be regarded as a setback in terms of accommodation organization, especially in terms of
identification of applicants with special reception needs, as legally prescribed. The premises of
the Reception Centre for Asylum Seekers in Zagreb were used only during the first days of the
refugee crisis, and after that nobody was accommodated there by the end of 2015.
The AITP also prescribes a framework for implementation of the institute of relocation of thirdcountry nationals or stateless persons and for accommodation of a certain number of persons
from another member state who have been granted international protection, for the purpose
of sharing the load under the intra-EU solidarity principle. So, at the proposal of the EC, the
Republic of Croatia adopted a decision on accommodation of 550 persons via so-called Quotas,
but later it decided to use a different relocation scheme to accept an additional 568 applicants
for international protection and refugees from Greece and Italy. However, as a result of the
refugee crisis, the implementation of that Decision has not started.
Regardless of the movements of refugees along the Balkan route, 3,759 persons were found in
Croatia, for whom 1,436 decisions on deportation and 2,868 decisions on return (mostly for
citizens of Afghanistan, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Serbia) were
made, while 691 persons were subjected to forced return1. An efficient system of monitoring
forced returns is provided by the Ministry of the Interior, to which effect it concludes contracts
with other state bodies and international and non-government organizations. However, this
system has not been in place since July 2015. Being aware of the importance of establishing a
system of supervision of forced returns in accordance with the Return Directive (2008/115/EC),
as well as of the practice of some member states in which this system is performed by the
ombudsman (Bulgaria, Denmark, Greece, Estonia, Finland, Latvia), the Ombudsman of the
Republic of Croatia as an independent institution can only implement such supervision
efficiently if it is done in accordance with UN Principles Relating to the Status of National
Institutions (Paris Principles), and with a clearly defined legal framework and availability of
adequate funds in the state budget.
In the Republic of Croatia there was one detention centre for irregular migrants in 2015, namely
the Foreigners Reception Centre in Ježevo. The construction of two more Transit Reception
Centres is currently under way (in Trilj and in Tovarnik) and they are scheduled to open in 2016.
4.4.
Persons with mental disorders
“Let those who put me here pay, I have no such intention.”
1
Also referred to as “involuntary returns”
31
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents