Today, Croatia received the green light from the European Commission to enter the border-free Schengen Area. While we agree that expanding the Schengen space can be a positive and much-needed move towards improvement of free movement inside the European Union, Croatia’s Schengen membership should be made conditional on the immediate end to the Croatian Government’s illegal and violent push-back of migrants. 

Joint statement of the Coalition for Rights and Wellbeing of Forced Migrants along Euro-Balkan's Routes

Migration, although one of the key topics for the European Union, was not adequately represented in the pre-election campaign in Croatia. That is why the Center for Peace Studies, ahead of the EU Parliament elections, decided to organize the panel discussion Europe and Migration: Where do we draw the line?. Centre for Peace Studies invited representatives of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, who today, on May 20th in Zagreb, presented their insights on the relations of the EU member states towards migration. 

Although the HDZ’s Members of European Parliament recently supported Orban in the European Parliament, the Prime Minister Plenković should insist on condemning the Hungarian human rights violations during the today’s meeting with Prime Minister Orban in Zagreb – this is the joint message by civil society organisations: Human Rights House Zagreb, Center for Peace Studies, Croatian Platform for International Citizen Solidarity - CROSOL, GONG and the Welcome! Initiative.

The Ministry of the Interior has denied Centre for Peace Studies (CPS) the access to Reception Centres for asylum seekers, refusing to extend the cooperation agreement to an organization that has provided support to refugees and asylum seekers for 15 years, warned representatives of the Centre for Peace Studies and Human Rights House at the press conference held on Monday 12 November, in front of the Reception Centre in Zagreb. MoI's deliberate explanation for such a decision is the alleged lack of physical space in which activities could be carried out, moreover claiming that there are enough other engaged organizations in the reception centres.

Croatia’s government should end the confinement of children and adults in institutions, five disabled people’s and human rights organizations said today in a letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. Despite some initial progress, the process of moving people out of institutions and into community-based living has stalled, the groups said.

he Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner sent a letter to the Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, expressing concern about allegations of collective expulsion of migrants, violence and other crimes committed by police officers.

On behalf of the Centre for Peace Studies and the Welcome Initiative, we would like to express our concerns regarding German Chancellor Angela Merkel's praise of Croatia three days ago at the press conference in Berlin, after her meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, which was also highlighted on the German government website. 

The civil society organizations Are you Syrious (AYS)?, Centre for Peace Studies, and lawyers Sanja Bezbradica Jelavic and Ivo Jelavic held a press conference on Apr 18 and warned about the pressure that the Croatian Ministry of Interior puts on the attorney's office that protects refugees, as well as against the activists of organizations providing legal and humanitarian protection to refugees.

Today, the European Court of Human Rights sent an urgent notification of their decision on an interim measure requiring the Croatian Ministry of Interior to immediately place Madina’s  family in an environment where the family will not be exposed to inhumane or degrading treatment. The Court also emphasizes that they are convinced that Croatia will not deport the family to Serbia or Afghanistan until they have answered the questions submitted by the Court.