Foreign Operations Appropriated Assistance: Croatia

Foreign Operations Appropriated Assistance* Fiscal Year (FY) 2007: $0.81 Million (M) Estimate FY 2008: $0.90M** Assistance Goals: United States interests in Croatia, and more broadly in South Central Europe, remain the promotion of lasting peace, stable democratic systems, and economic prosperity. The U.S. Government (USG) aims to promote closer ties between Croatia and its allies, and the development of a vibrant, market-oriented economy and transparent democratic system so that Croatia becomes a force for regional stability and a strong partner in Euro-Atlantic institutions. USG priorities include the promotion of private-sector-led economic growth and the strengthening of broad-based democratic institutions. Areas of Focus (Foreign Operations Appropriated Assistance): Peace and Security (PS): FY 2007: $0.81M, Est. FY 2008: $0.90M Develop joint police and prosecutorial capacities to combat organized crime and corruption; Strengthen border police and customs capacities to detect and deter movement of illicit goods and trafficked persons across Croatia’s borders; Provide de-mining funds to war-affected regions, giving priority to projects in communities that promote refugee returnand economic development; Improve prosecutor and judicial capacity to prosecute remaining war crimes cases fairly, including those transferred from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), reinforcing the political will to prosecute war crimes regardless of the ethnicity of defendants or victims; Professional military education to improve interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces, including English language training. Governing Justly and Democratically (GJD) (no new bilateral funding allocated in FY 2007 or FY 2008***) Increase civil society's ability to advocate for and contribute to Croatia's democratic, economic and community development; the USG has supported NGOs’ efforts to solve local and national problems. Economic Growth (EG) (no new bilateral funding allocated in FY 2007 or FY 2008***) Assist businesses, improve supply chains, and establish clusters to increase revenues, exports and investment levels. By assisting 4,000 enterprises, the USG has helped create 20,000 new jobs for Croatians. Recent Successes: In 2007, Croatia demonstrated significant political will and professional commitment to prosecuting war crimes, even when defendants were ethnic Croats. Following USG assistance, the Ministry of Interior's witness protection unit provided assistance to endangered witnesses. As a result of USG funding, mentoring, and in coordination with a complementary EU Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development, and Stabilization program and with the Criminal Police, Croatia created its first joint police-prosecutor task force to target a specific criminal organization. With USG advice, the asset forfeiture law was amended to place the burden of proof on the suspect, and the task force successfully undertook its first major corruption case, arresting several officials and freezing assets. De-mining projects were initiated for approximately 1.88 square kilometers. An estimated 997 square kilometers remain mine-suspected. The Government of Croatia estimates that Croatia will be mine-impact-free by 2012 *Division J of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act: Department of State Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008, including: SEED, Child Survival and Health (CSH), NADR, IMET and Foreign Military Financing (FMF) **Estimate from FY 2009 Congressional Budget Justification; Website: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/101440.pdf *** FY 2006 was the final year that Croatia received new bilateral SEED funding; however, SEED-funded programs continued to spend FY 2006 and prior-year funds throughout FY 2007 and into FY 2008.

Croatia: Est. FY 2008 USD Thousands Total For. Ops. Accounts** $895 Non-proliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR): $595 International Military Education and Training (IMET): $300 For More Information: SEED Annual Report: http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rpt Other State Links: http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/hr/ U.S. Embassy: http://zagreb.usembassy.gov/ USAID Links: http://www.usaid.gov/locations/ europe_eurasia/countries/hr/index.html

Graph Explanations

The Bar Graph covers U.S. assistance to Croatia from 1992-2007:

• In Fiscal Year 1992: 0.45 Million dollars in Support for Eastern European Democracies (SEED) assistance was given to Croatia; and no other United States Government (USG) assistance was given
• Fiscal Year 1993: SEED: 5.10 Million dollars; other USG: 0 dollars
• Fiscal Year 1994: SEED: 10.76 Million dollars; other USG: 0 dollars
• Fiscal Year 1995: SEED: 14.54 Million dollars; other USG: 0.11 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1996: SEED: 15.00 Million dollars; other USG: 0.22 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1997: SEED: 12.20 Million dollars; other USG: 0.43 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1998: SEED: 23.22 Million dollars; other USG: 0.45 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1999: SEED: 22.99 Million dollars; other USG: 0.43 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2000: SEED: 36.20 Million dollars; other USG: 4.51 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2001: SEED: 24.85 Million dollars; other USG: 24.80 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2002: SEED: 44.00 Million dollars; other USG: 5.90 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2003: SEED: 30.50 Million dollars; other USG: 9.64 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2004: SEED: 24.85 Million dollars; other USG: 4.03 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2005: SEED: 22.00 Million dollars; other USG: 4.94 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2006: SEED: 14.84 Million dollars; other USG: 4.27 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2007: SEED: 0 dollars; other USG: 0.81 Million dollars