Italië beschuldigt Kroatië van discriminatie op nationaliteit bij aankoop onroerend goed (en) - Main contents

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Italy has accused Croatia of systematically discriminating against Italian citizens trying to purchase real estate in Croatia, in a letter to the European Commission.

Deputy prime minister Gianfranco Fini said Croatia's attitude was in stark contrast to its aspirations to join the EU and went against commitments Zagreb had undertaken within the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) it has with the bloc.

According to the SAA, Croatia should "progressively adjust its legislation concerning the acquisition of real estate in Croatia by nationals of the member states of the European Union to ensure the same treatment as compared to Croatian nationals."

This is not the first time Rome has flagged up this issue - Mr Fini discussed it with enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn last October.

On Monday (6 March), a commission spokesperson confirmed that Brussels is looking into the concerns raised by the Italian minister.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Italian ministry for foreign affairs said that the government would continue to monitor the situation and expects Croatia to take immediate steps to stop any discrimination against Italian citizens.

In a veiled threat, the statement also said Rome would give top priority to seeing this issue resolved particularly in light of Croatia's EU aspirations.

The Croatian foreign ministry has responded by saying it treats foreign citizens equally and that by applying a reciprocity principle proscribed by Croatian law, it is fully meeting the international legal obligations required by the SAA.