Zagreb – A reception for state officials, Members of Parliament and the diplomatic corps was held today in the Parliament to celebrate the Croatian Parliament Day.
In his address to the guests, Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem said that the constitution of a democratically elected multi-party parliament on 30 May 1990 marked the beginning of creating a modern, democratic, sovereign and independent Croatian state based on the rule of law and achievements of Western democracy.
“Throughout history the Croatian Parliament has been a place where the most important decisions for the future of the Croatian nation are made, and the Croatian Parliament has been a guardian of our national identity and statehood throughout centuries” said Šprem adding that “following the plebiscitary will of Croatian citizens expressed in a referendum, at the height of the fiercest war in 1991 the Croatian Parliament passed the Constitutional Decision on the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Croatia, which was followed by the Decision on terminating the state-legal bonds with the other republics and provinces of Yugoslavia several months later.” “These decisions of the Croatian Parliament confirmed its role as the supreme representative body of the state and its citizens”, Šprem stated.
Talking about Croatia’s upcoming accession to the European Union, Šprem underlined that full EU membership placed the Croatian Parliament before new challenges. “Twelve Members of the Croatian Parliament are already in the European Parliament as observers monitoring its work, and with the recent amendments to the Standing Orders of our Parliament we have taken the first steps in restructuring the Croatian Parliament and building its capacity to respond to new tasks. Moreover, with amendments to the Standing Orders we want to raise the quality of debates and transparency of parliamentary work which will, I am confident, restore the lost part of confidence of Croatian citizens in the possibilities of parliamentary democracy that – let us never forget – made it possible for us to fulfil our dream of a free, independent and sovereign Croatian state”, concluded the Speaker and wished all the guests a happy Croatian Parliament Day.