Report on the Performance of Activities of the National Preventive Mechanism for 2016
Migration policy
When it comes to adopting a comprehensive approach to the problem of migrations, Migration
Policy of the Republic of Croatia is particularly important; however, Migration Policy for the
period 2016-2018 has not yet been adopted even though a commission composed of
representatives of competent bodies was established. The reason for this was low quality of
comments based on which document proposal could not have been drafted. Besides, during
the course of 2016, Ministry of the Interior failed to take any other steps, despite the fact that
migrations had been defined as one of foreign policy priorities of the Republic of Croatia,
primarily because they affect all segments of social development.
Due to all identified difficulties that irregular migrants and applicants for international
protection are faced with when trying to exercise their rights, it is certainly important to
enhance the existing legal framework, to improve practice within the existing system, but also
to adopt a new migration policy, in order to establish a systematic approach when it comes to
the issue of migrations, with the aim of enabling state bodies and other stakeholders to act in
a timely and harmonized manner when attempting to find effective responses to positive and
negative effects of migration movements.
In 2017, if projects that are planned to be financed by the Asylum, Migration and Integration
Fund are realized, all problems regarding exercise of rights of irregular migrants and applicants
for international protection, should be mitigated. The mentioned projects pertain to
monitoring forcible removals, ensuring translation services and expanding the network of
available translators and court interpreters, encouraging assisted voluntary return, building
additional open-type accommodation capacities – the so-called alternative detention – and
providing psychosocial assistance to applicants for international protection.
6. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND CAPACITIES FOR PERFORMING NPM
TASKS
International cooperation
Last year, we participated in three meetings of National Preventive Mechanisms of South-East
Europe Network, focusing on visits made to homes for the elderly and preventive protection of
refugees’ rights in countries of South-East Europe. In Thessaloniki, we participated in a
workshop on ombudsman common regional plan for resolving refugee crisis, whereas in
Vienna, we participated in the training on monitoring forcible removals in the organization of
FRA and Frontex. In Vienna, we also participated in a workshop on mutual cooperation between
NPMs and judges in their work with people deprived of their liberty, especially when it comes
to implementing EU legislation. Furthermore, we hosted representatives of Georgian NPM with
the aim of exchanging experiences in connection with monitoring implementation of
recommendations and instruments that are used during visits; moreover, we made joint visits
to Zagreb County Prison, Zagreb Police Administration and FRCJ. We also visited the Slovenian
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