On 15 March 1996, the President of the Republic Croatia and the President of the Croatian Parliament signed a document stating that, in order to fulfil the requirements for admission to the Council of Europe, Croatia was formally undertaking the following commitments:
9.1 to sign the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) at the moment of accession;
9.2 to ratify the ECHR and Protocol Nos. 1, 2, 4, 7 and 11 within a year from the time of accession;
9.3 to recognise, pending the entry into force of Protocol No. 11, the right of individual application to the European Commission of Human Rights and the compulsory jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights (Articles 25 and 46 of the Convention);
9.4 to sign within one year and ratify within three years from the time of accession Protocol No. 6 of the ECHR on the abolition of the death penalty;
9.5 to sign and ratify within a year from the time of accession the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
9.6 to sign and ratify within a year from the time of accession the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the European Charter on Local Self-Government, and the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages; to conduct its policy towards minorities on the principles set forth in Assembly
Recommendation 1201 (1993), and to incorporate these principles into the legal and administrative system and practice of the country;
9.7 to implement the recommendations resulting from the opinion of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the "Venice Commission") on the constitutional law on human rights and the freedoms and rights of national and ethnic communities and minorities and human rights protection mechanisms;
9.8 to take all necessary measures, including adequate police protection, to guarantee the safety and human rights of the Serb population in Croatia, in particular in the former UN Protected Areas, to facilitate the return of people who left these areas and to allow them, through a specific procedure established by law, effectively to exercise their rights to recover their property or to receive compensation
9.9 to study, with a view to ratification, the Council of Europe's Social Charter, and meanwhile to conduct its policy in accordance with the principles contained therein;
9.10 to sign and ratify and meanwhile apply the basic principles of other Council of Europe conventions - notably those on extradition, on mutual assistance in criminal matters, on the transfer of sentenced persons, and on the laundering, search, seizure and confiscation of proceeds from crime;
9.11 to settle international as well as internal disputes by peaceful means;
9.12 to comply strictly with its obligations under the Basic Agreement on the Region of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium, and to co-operate fully with the United Nations Transitional Administration for this region (UNTAES);
9.13 to co-operate fully and effectively in the implementation of the Dayton/Paris Agreements for Peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina;
9.14 to co-operate with, and actively assist, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in bringing before the tribunal without delay persons indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide;
9.15 to settle outstanding international border disputes according to the principles of international law;
9.16 to implement the recommendations of Council of Europe experts on legislation relating to the media, such as the law on public information, the law on telecommunications and the law on protection of competition;
9.17 to continue with the procedure of electing a mayor of Zagreb in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Croatia and taking into account the recommendations of the Council of Europe;
9.18 to pursue reforms with a view to bringing all legislation and practice in line with Council of Europe principles and standards;
9.19 to comply, well before the next elections, with the recommendations made by the election observers of the Council of Europe and other international organisations, in particular with regard to the special voting block for the diaspora, minority representation, voter registration lists, voter anonymity, the need to increase the independence of the state broadcasting corporation (HRT) and to undertake a census of the population as soon as possible;
9.20 to sign and ratify within a year from the time of accession the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe and its additional protocols;
9.21 to co-operate fully in the implementation of Assembly Order No. 508 (1995) on the honouring of obligations and commitments by member states of the Council of Europe, as well as in the monitoring process established by virtue of the Committee of Ministers' declaration of 10 November 1994 (95th session).
