Justice Ministry State Secretary Juro Martinovic said in the parliament on Friday that he did not have information as to whether the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) was checking the implementation of the Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem project in Croatia.

“We do not have information about that, if there are elements warranting action, they must be doing their job,” he told Homeland Movement MP Ruzica Vukovac who said that according to unofficial reports, the EPPO was checking data related to the Rural Development Programme, specifically the Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem project.

Vukovac inquired about possible irregularities in the project as part of a debate on the government’s proposal that the parliament amend the law on the ratification of the 1959 Council of Europe Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters and its 1978 Protocol.

Martinovic recalled that the EPPO was an independent EU body and had an office in Croatia, which started working on 1 June.

“We do not inquire about their activities and do not comment on them, if there are elements warranting action, they surely act on them,” he said.

Martinovic said the purpose of the government’s proposal was to amend the statements Croatia had previously submitted to the Council of Europe Secretary-General regarding mutual assistance in criminal matters so that the EPPO, along with courts and prosecutorial authorities, was identified as a competent judicial body and given tools for international cooperation with third countries.

Martinovic recalled that Croatia was part of the EPPO project and that 22 of the 27 EU members had joined it, the exceptions being Hungary, Poland, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden, which was about to join the project.

Alignment with European conventions was supported by deputies of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the ruling HDZ party.