EU Warns Croatia On LGBT Rights

Croatia is scheduled to join the European Union in 2013, but the EU has just adopted a resolution warning them that membership requires abiding by LGBT rights laws. Croatian pride parades have been plagued by anti-gay violence that was quietly allowed (if not overtly sanctioned) by the government.

The resolution adopted by the Parliament says in part that it is “deeply concerned by the violence against participants in the LGBT pride march in Split on 11 June 2011 and the inability of the Croatian authorities to protect the participants”. Croatian authorities are urged to “investigate and prosecute the crimes committed and to develop strategies for preventing similar incidents in the future”. The text also calls for them to “quickly adopt and implement an action plan against homophobia”.