Croatia: False stories about EU officials? Maybe not a good idea.

As Lindsay metioned, Croatia is currently a candidate for European Union membership and hopes to gain access by 2011. According to the report on Croatian press freedom by the International Freedom of Expression eXchange, the country has made human rights improvements because of this candidacy. Unfortunately, Croatian press still seems to suffer from corruption.

According to the Copenhagen Post, two Croatian newspapers have recently accused Bo Eric Weber, the Danish ambassador to Croatia, of attempting to block Croatia’s admittance to the EU. This story seems to have stemmed from a conflict over a Danish factory in Croatia that is considered to be dangerous to health and the environment. Weber, however, completely denies these claims and has asked for a correction to the article. In a Croatian Times article, Weber is quoted as saying, "Unfortunately, this is an example of very bad journalism based on non-ethical behaviour. If [the author] Mr. Grakalic had contacted the Danish embassy beforehand, the false story would never have been written."

This shows a definite weakness in Croatia’s standards of professional journalism. I can only imagine that false stories, particularly those involving EU officials, will hurt their admission.

-- Ellen Leto (Croatia)