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<p>The accession process of countries from the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
to the European Union does not involve steps specifically aimed at ensuring that British
citizens are compensated for any deprivation of property during the Tito era. However
the criteria for EU accession for candidate countries do include a requirement to
implement measures to ensure that the rule of law is firmly embedded within the judicial
and political system. This includes respect for private property, and we note that
the European Commission has highlighted specifically the need for progress on restitution
of property in its most recent annual enlargement Progress Reports on the Western
Balkans countries published on 8 October. Furthermore, all Western Balkan countries
have ratified the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms,
the First Protocol of which enshrines the principle of respect for private property.
<br><br>Some Western Balkans countries have, in recent years, made progress on the
restitution of private property. Serbia invited applications for restitution and received
75,000 of them. Montenegro and Albania have been slower to implement their legislation
on restitution, as highlighted in successive annual country Progress Reports by the
European Commission. In 2012, the Commission recognised progress regarding restitution
of property in Macedonia seized under the former Yugoslav Communist regime, despite
administrative and judicial delays. In May, Albania (which was not part of the former
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) submitted an action plan to the Council of Europe,
aiming to create, by June 2015, an effective mechanism to enforce decisions on restitution
of, or compensation for, property nationalised during the Communist regime. The Kosovo
Property Claims Commission and Kosovo Property Agency continue to resolve outstanding
private property disputes resulting from the 1998-99 armed conflict. Over 40,000 claims
have been decided. Bosnia and Herzegovina has made no progress on restitution of private
property in the last four years. Despite earlier attempts to enact a legal framework,
there is none in place.</p>
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