Clock starts running on 1 August for Croatian Government's action on property repossession

ZAGREB, 1 August 2002 - Legal provisions coming into effect today set a series of deadlines for the Croatian Government to promptly return occupied private properties to their owners.

The amendments to the Law on Areas of Special State Concern impose two deadlines on the Ministry for Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction to issue the necessary decisions for the repossession of occupied private property:

• 30 October 2002 for properties that have already been claimed by the owner;
• 31 December 2002 for all other occupied private properties.

"The OSCE welcomes the commitments contained in the law and believes that adherence to the deadlines is essential to the successful completion of property repossession by the end of 2002", said the Head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Ambassador Peter Semneby.

If property is not returned within these deadlines, the Government is obliged to pay compensation to the owners who have filed claims for their property.

As of 1 August, the State Prosecutor is obliged to take action within the following deadlines:

• within 30 days against occupants whose own home has been reconstructed but continue to occupy somebody else's property;
• within 60 days against occupants who have no legal basis for their occupation.

In addition to these deadlines, local housing commissions will cease to exist on 31 August. On that date, the Ministry for Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction and the State Prosecutors will assume their responsibilities for the return of occupied property.

"The OSCE Mission expects that this step will improve enforcement and uniformity of property repossession throughout Croatia", added Ambassador Semneby.