NEWS

LUXEMBURG, 23 April 2012

Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić 23 April 2012 took part in a meeting of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

The meeting, chaired by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, focused on the latest developments in Myanmar following the 1 April elections, in Afghanistan and in the countries from the Sahel region. Also discussed was the Middle East peace process and Iran’s nuclear program.

NEWS

BRUXELLES/STRASBOURG, 17 April 2012

CROATIA: DISCUSSING PREPARATIONS AND REMAINING TASK ON THE ROAD TO EU ENTRY

Today I have met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia Neven Mimica and we had a very constructive meeting on his country's final preparations for the EU entry. We expressed our common commitment to a successful and well-prepared accession on 1 July 2013.I am encouraged by the fact that overall Croatia has continued to make progress in its preparations for membership since the closure of accession negotiations in June 2011. Our discussions focussed on the upcoming regular monitoring by the Commission. We discussed in particular issues identified in the chapters on competition policy, judiciary and fundamental rights as well as justice, freedom and security", stated Commissioner Füle after his meeting with Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia Neven Mimica.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 28 February 2012

Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić attended 28 February 2012 in Brussels a meeting of the EU General Affairs Council.

The meeting, which Pusić attended as an observer, discussed membership candidate status for Serbia and Kosovo's efforts to draw closer to the European Union. Croatia supports efforts to grant Serbia EU membership candidate status and to approve the preparation of a feasibility study on the possibility of opening negotiations on a Stability and Association Agreement with Kosovo, Pusić said.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 27 February 2012

By all accounts, Serbia will be given EU candidate status and Kosovo a possibility to join the Stabilisation and Association Process, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic said in Brussels on Monday.

"I believe both decisions are important and that they make sense, as confirmed by most ministers," said Pusic who attended a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council as an observer.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 27 January 2012

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić attended 27 January 2012 in Brussels the meeting of the EU General Affairs Council.

The minister’s participation marked the first time Croatia was represented at the General Affairs Council as an observer country.

NEWS

BRUXELLES, 23 January 2012

23.01.2012 - "On behalf of the Committee of the Regions, I would like to send my warmest congratulations to Croatia's citizens for approving their country's accession to the European Union. I am delighted to see that, despite the complicated period it is currently going through, the Union remains attractive to Europe's peoples and is still thought of as the best option for ensuring stability and prosperity."

With these words, the president of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), Mercedes Bresso, welcomed the positive result of the referendum that took place yesterday on Croatia's EU accession. "Croatia's cities and counties have, throughout the period of preparation for accession, made remarkable efforts to support their country on the road to accession. I am convinced that this process could not have concluded successfully without being strongly rooted at local level and without the involvement and work of Croatian local and regional authorities," said Bresso.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 9 December 2011

At the special ceremony that preceded the European Council’s session 9 December 2011 in Brussels, the treaty was signed between the EU members and the Republic of Croatia on its accession to the European Union.

The Accession Treaty and the Final Act were signed on behalf of the Republic of Croatia by Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and President Ivo Josipović, as well as heads of the 27 EU members.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 23 November 2011

A "EURO Tram", painted in the European Union colours and bearing EU symbols and the message "United in Diversity", was put into operation at a ceremony outside the main offices of Zagreb's public transport company ZET. (Hina)

Attending the ceremony were Croatian government and Zagreb city officials. The project was initiated by the Zagreb branch of the Croatian Homeland War Veterans (HVIDRA) association which also launched the idea of putting into operation a NATO tram in 2009 when the country joined the alliance.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 22 November 2011

Croatia will join the European Union in July 2013 even if it fails to fulfil its remaining obligations by then, most notably the sale of its shipyards, a senior EU envoy told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. (Hina)

Mr Paul Vandoren, the European Union's envoy to Croatia, said the bloc will continue to monitor carefully Zagreb's efforts to reform its judiciary, fight corruption and restructure its steel and shipbuilding sectors, but has no punitive mechanisms for non-compliance until Croatia joins the bloc. "The date, July 1, 2013, is written in the accession treaty in an unconditional manner," Mr Vandoren said. Reuters cited him as saying that the maximum the European Commission could do between now and the accession was to send "warning letters" to Croatian authorities. "I hope this will not happen because this would put a not so positive image about Croatia to our member states. The psychological effect of the warning letters is not to be underestimated," Mr Vandoren told Reuters.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 22 November 2011

Croatian President Ivo Josipović has received an invitation from European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to attend a ceremony in Brussels at which Croatia's Treaty of Accession to the European Union will be signed on December 9, the Office of the Croatian President said in a statement on Tuesday. (Hina)

The European Council officially confirmed on Monday that the Treaty of Accession with Croatia would be signed just before a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on December 9.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 22 November 2011

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk have sent a letter to Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor inviting her to Brussels to attend a ceremony at which Croatia's Treaty of Accession to the European Union will be signed on December 9, the government's public relations office said. (Hina)

The European Council officially confirmed on Monday that the Treaty of Accession with Croatia would be signed just before a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on December 9.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 22 November 2011

The first Matica Hrvatska Days, in honour of the Croatian cultural institution of the same name, were opened in Brussels on Tuesday. (Hina)

The Matica Hrvatska Days will feature workshops, lectures and concerts. Matica Hrvatska's Brussels branch was established on June 23 and this event, lasting until Friday, was organised in cooperation with the Croatian Mission to the European Union and the Croatian Embassy to Belgium, among others. Matica Hrvatska was established in 1842.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 21 November 2011

The European Council officially confirmed on Monday that the Accession Treaty with Croatia would be signed at a ceremony just before a Council summit in Brussels on December 9, a statement in Brussels said. (Hina)

The treaty will be signed by Croatian President Ivo Josipović and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and the leaders of the European Union's 27 countries. After the signing, Croatia will attend the European Council summit as an observer.

NEWS

STRASBOURG, 17 November 2011

The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee voted in two documents important for Croatia - a draft resolution on the Treaty of Accession with Croatia and a draft resolution on Croatia's application for membership of the European Union. (Hina)

The Foreign Affairs Committee supported the draft resolution approving the signing of the Accession Treaty with Croatia with 65 votes in favour, one against and one abstention.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 17 November 2011

The European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs has sent a clear message that Croatia has done its homework, German member of the European Parliament Bernd Posselt said on Thursday, adding that Croatia was now on the homestretch towards European Union membership. (Hina)

Posselt, the German Christian and Social Union (CSU) foreign affairs commissioner, commented on the decisions made by the committee earlier in the day to give the greenlight to the parliament to okay Croatia's forthcoming accession to the EU at its meeting either on 30 November or 1 December.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 16 November 2011

Croatia's Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry State Secretary Andrej Plenković in Zagreb on Wednesday presented a brochure on benefits of EU membership the purpose of which is to inform Croatian citizens about all important aspects of negotiating chapters, the Accession Treaty and funding ahead of a referendum on Croatia's EU entry, expected to be held in early 2012. (Hina)

The brochure "What Does EU Membership Bring", published by the Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry in 14,000 copies, should be very useful for the media, professional organisations, the academic community and all our partners that have been included in Croatia's long-standing efforts, State Secretary Plenković said: Link

NEWS

ZAGREB, 16 November 2011

A survey of retail trade and retail space in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, published by the company Jones Lang LaSalle, shows that Croatia's forthcoming accession to the European Union could boost demand and improve the outlook on Croatia's retail market. (Hina)

The survey, entitled "Retail Barometer Across CEE & SEE", covers Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia, a market with a population of more than 97 million. It is based on the results of on-line opinion polls conducted among key users of retail space, developers and lessors.

NEWS

STRASBOURG, 16 November 2011

The European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee will vote on two documents important for Croatia on Thursday - a draft resolution on the Accession Treaty and a draft resolution on Croatia's EU membership application. (Hina)

The Accession Treaty cannot be signed without the approval of the European Parliament. After adoption by the Committee, the document will be put to the vote at a plenary session of the European Parliament on November 30 or December 1.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 15 November 2011

The CNC Network - Train for Europe project was presented in Zagreb on Tuesday as part of the project meeting taking place from November 14 to 18. (Hina)

The project is supported by the European Commission and involves 24 vocational technical schools from 24 countries, including Zagreb's Nikola Tesla Technical School. The project was launched eight years ago, and its presentation today was attended by Croatian President Ivo Josipović.

NEWS

STRASBOURG, 15 November 2011

Croatia's Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry State Secretary Andrej Plenković in Strasbourg on Tuesday gave a talk to deputies of the PanEuropean Task Force of the European People's Party Group in the European Parliament. (Hina)

In his speech, entitled "Croatia as a Future EU Member", State Secretary Plenković spoke about preparations for the signing of the Accession Treaty, the information campaign ahead of the referendum on Croatia's EU entry, and the strengthening of coordinating mechanisms in Croatia for the efficiency in EU institutions, read a statement issued by the Ministry.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 10 November 2011

Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor confirmed on Thursday that Croatia would sign a Treaty of Accession to the European Union on December 9, and that the document would be signed by her and by President Ivo Josipović. (Hina)

"This is great news for Croatia, for the government and for me personally as Prime Minister," Prime Minister Kosor told reporters at government headquarters. The Polish EU Presidency has confirmed that Croatia will sign its Treaty of Accession to the EU on December 9 in Brussels, on the fringes of a meeting of EU member countries' heads of state or government.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 9 November 2011

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Brussels under which Dubrovnik will become a centre for debates to be held by young diplomats and post-graduate students within the MESEURO project on cooperation between the European Union and Mediterranean countries.

In Brussels, November the 9th 2011, the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing the Centre MESEURO in Dubrovnik (Croatia), for further cooperation within the Union for Mediterranean, was signed by the Vice-President of the European Parliament Mr. Gianni Pittella and by the Head of PdL Party at European Parliament Mr. Mario Mauro, representing the Centre MESEURO, as well as by the City of Dubrovnik, represented by Mayor Dr. Andro Vlahušić, the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, represented by Head of the County Office in Brussels Ms. Katarina Šipić, the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), represented by President Prof. Dr. Joseph Mifsud, the University of Zagreb, represented by Vice-Rector for Legal Affairs and International Relations Prof. Dr. Ksenija Turković, and the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, represented by Director Dr. Mladen Andrlić. The signing ceremony was also attended by Ambassador Branko Baričević, Head of the Croatian Mission to the European Union

NEWS

ZAGREB, 2 November 2011

Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor meets European Parliament President Buzek. Croatia, having carried out fantastic reforms, is without discussion an example to the whole region, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said in Zagreb, proposing a new promotional motto for Croatia - 'A brave country for a great success'. (Hina)

Your current motto is, 'A small country for a great vacation'. 'A brave country for a great success' is your new motto which I am now officially proposing, Buzek told the press after meeting with Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 2 November 2011

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said in Zagreb on Wednesday that the European Parliament would definitely approve on December 1 the treaty of accession of Croatia to the European Union, congratulating Zagreb on the big changes achieved since 2009. (Hina)

I can guarantee that at its plenary session on December 1 the European Parliament will give its formal approval for Croatia's accession to the EU, Buzek said at a news conference he held together with Croatian Parliament Speaker Luka Bebić.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 2 November 2011

Europe appreciates Croatia's role in the region and has a project for the entire region, and by supporting its neighbours Croatia will give an important contribution to European policy, President Ivo Josipović said in Zagreb after meeting European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek. (Hina)

"I was glad to hear that Europe appreciates Croatia's role in the region and that it has a project for the whole region, and Croatia is an important partner. By supporting its neighbours, Croatia will give an important contribution to European policy," President Josipović told reporters after the talks. The completion of EU accession talks and the forthcoming signing of a treaty of accession to the EU bring Croatia to a crossroads, said Josipović.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 2 November 2011

Croatia's Central Finance and Contracting Agency for European Union projects has signed a contract for the establishment of centres for the implementation of the EU's Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control directive on the regional level in Croatia, the agency said. (Hina)

The project is financed by the IPA I 2009 pre-accession programme on the strengthening of capacities and building of institutions, and the aim of the directive is prevention and control of pollution from industrial and agricultural activity.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 28 October 2011

The Parlamentarium Visitors' Centre was officially opened 11 October by EP President Jerzy Buzek, in the presence of Belgium's Princess Astrid and everybody could come and enjoy an interactive history lesson on the EU and find out how decisions made by MEPs influence your life.

The Parlamentarium is the visitors' centre of the European Parliament (EP) in its Espace Léopold complex in Brussels, Belgium. It contains a permanent exhibition with several hundreds of multimedia components, offering an insight into the European Parliament, the other European institutions and their functions, while placing these institutions in a wider European and historical context. The entrance is located on the Parliament's esplanade.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 24 October 2011

Croatia's state secretary for European integration Andrej Plenković in Zagreb on Monday held talks with representatives of the European Commission and all bodies of the state administration about a mechanism for monitoring Croatia's progress in meeting its obligations from the closed chapters of its EU entry talks, the Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry said in a statement. (Hina)

State Secretary Plenković stressed reform processes were irreversible and would continue during the ratification process so that Croatia could join the European Union on 1 July 2013 as the completely ready 28th member state.

NEWS

MIESE, 22 October 2011

The current crisis in the eurozone will not affect the support of Croatian citizens in the forthcoming referendum on the country's EU entry, Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said in Meise outside Brussels. (Hina)

"I believe that the support of Croatian citizens will be really important and great," Kosor said upon arriving in Meise for a meeting of European People's Party (EPP) leaders when asked if the crisis, which has been destabilising the eurozone for two years now, would have an impact on how Croatian citizens would vote in the EU entry referendum.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 21 October 2011

Croatia today is a regional model of positive change and its upcoming EU membership will give additional motive to all countries in Southeast Europe to pursue reforms with even more determination, Andrej Plenković, State Secretary for European Integration, said at the conference. (Hina)

The Croatian State Secretary for European Integration opened an international conference, organised by the Croatian Paneuropean Union, called "Solidarity in Europe - Croatia and the European Union". The three-day event is taking place on the 20th anniversary of the Croatian Paneuropean Union, under the auspices of the Croatian president and prime minister. It was co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 21 October 2011

Croatia, the European Union and the future of that European project were the topic of the fourth round table discussion held in Zagreb under the title "Zagreb, EU -- Breakfast & Debate", with Croatian Foreign Ministry State Secretary Andrej Plenković as the main moderator of the event. (Hina)

State Secretary Andrej Plenković expressed satisfaction with the European Commission’s progress report on Croatia and finally a positive opinion on Croatia’s accession to the EU. He also announced the approval of the European Parliament and the signing of the Accession Treaty in December.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 20 October 2011

The European Parliament's (EP) Rapporteur on Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, on Thursday called on members of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee to unequivocally support the signing of a Treaty on Accession of Croatia to the European Union, underlining that he did not expect any problems with the document's ratification. (Hina)

I call on my colleagues to support Croatia unequivocally, Swoboda said at a meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs which discussed in first reading two documents - a draft resolution on the Accession Treaty with Croatia and a draft resolution on Croatia's EU membership application. We want the ratification of the Accession Treaty to be done quickly and I see no problems in that process, Swoboda said.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 17 October 2011

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has been invited to attend a meeting of European People's Party (EPP) leaders, due to take place in Meise, just outside Brussels, on Saturday, the EPP announced in a statement. (Hina)

Such meetings are always organised before a summit of EU leaders, which is scheduled for October 23.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 16 October 2011

The European Union's Committee of the Regions has recommended drawing up a strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian macro-region as soon as possible and including it among the priorities for financing from structural funds in the 2014 - 20 period. (Hina)

At a recent plenary session, the Committee adopted an opinion calling for drawing up a macro-regional strategy on the model of the already established Baltic and Danube macro-regions.

NEWS

DUBROVNIK, 13 October 2011

The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Andro Vlahušić, and the head of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Mladen Andrlić, met on Thursday to discuss plans for the establishment of a centre of excellence for young diplomats and postgraduate students in Dubrovnik.

The project will be carried out by the City of Dubrovnik, the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI University), the University of Zagreb and the Diplomatic Academy with the support of the European Parliament, whose Deputy Speaker Gianni Pitella initiated the establishment of the “Meseuro” institution, the European centre for the Mediterranean based in Brussels.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 12 October 2011

Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said in Zagreb she was very pleased with the European Commission's progress report on Croatia, which was released earlier in the day, adding that it was a great recognition to the entire country. (Hina)

"The report reaffirms the prospects of European Union membership for Croatia," Kosor said at a press conference after a meeting with the head of the EU Delegation in Zagreb, Paul Vandoren, who had presented to her the EU's enlargement package.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 12 October 2011

Over the past year Croatia has made significant progress in all areas, which has made possible the completion of the accession talks, and the remaining work should be done by the date of its EU entry, 1 July 2013, the European Commission said. (Hina)

The EC today adopted the so-called Enlargement package containing reports on the progress of all candidate and potential candidate countries, a favourable opinion on Croatia's accession to the EU, an opinion on Serbia's candidacy, and an enlargement strategy for 2012.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 12 October 2011

President Ivo Josipović on Wednesday received the head of the European Union Delegation to Croatia, Paul Vandoren, who presented to him the European Commission's latest progress report on Croatia, Josipović's office said in a press release. (Hina)

Josipović and Vandoren concluded the report was a very good document which recognised the successes Croatia had achieved during the EU accession negotiations, and that it brought constructive recommendations on how to improve areas regulating membership so that Croatia could join the Union fully prepared.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 11 October 2011

The Croatian State Secretary for European Integration Andrej Plenković participated on Tuesday, 11 October 2011 in Brussels on 14th meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee of the Republic of Croatia - European Union.

The European Union-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee held its 14th meeting in Brussels, discussing preparations for the signing of Croatia's accession treaty and the information campaign in Croatia ahead of a referendum on accession. This meeting which was co-chaired by Gunnar Hökmark and Marija Pejčinović Burić, brought together members of the Croatian and European parliaments.

NEWS

WARSAW, 29 September 2011

Croatia's European Union accession treaty will be signed in Warsaw during the second part of December, a spokesman for the Polish EU Presidency said. (Hina/AFP)

We are in the process of sending invitations to the EU member states and institutions for the signing ceremony in Warsaw during the second part of December, spokesman Konrad Niklewicz was quoted by French news agency AFP as saying. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk formally presented the English-language version of the treaty to his Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor during a visit to Zagreb on September 17.

NEWS

STRASBOURG, 28 September 2011

State of the Union: Barroso warns of dangers of fragmented Europe.

We must not allow the achievement of a united Europe to be called into question, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso warned in his State of the Union address to MEPs, pointing out that the horrors of the world wars of the previous century are now unimaginable, the EU being a guarantee of peace on the continent. MEPs largely supported Mr Barroso's view that more economic government and less intergovernmental bickering is the right response to the crisis.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 27 September 2011

Croatian President Ivo Josipović has said that he believes that it is possible to achieve support of some 70 per cent for Croatia's EU entry in a forthcoming referendum on the country's EU accession. (Hina)

"After the coming parliamentary elections, regardless of their outcome, I will ask all politicians and political parties that support Croatia's EU membership to take part in a big pro-European campaign to last a month or a month and a half," Josipović said in Zagreb on Monday, at a conference on the status of Croatian workers after Croatia joins the EU. The latest surveys carried out by the Ipsos Puls agency show that if a referendum on Croatia's EU entry were to take place today, 58 percent of citizens would vote for Croatia's EU entry, while 31 percent would vote against. Those 31 percent are mostly afraid of the unknown, Josipović said, adding that pro-European politicians and parties should help those voters overcome their fear.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 27 September 2011

State Secretary for European Integration Andrej Plenković met with a group of journalists, on 27 September, from several countries of the European Union, who work as correspondents in Brussels. Their working visit to Croatia was organized by the Delegation of the European Union. The aim was to introduce and present Croatia in their countries as a future EU member state.

State Secretary Plenković presented the activities that concern the informing the citizens about the EU, the referendum on joining the European Union and outlined the planned schedule in connection with the signing of Croatian’s EU accession treaty. He explained that during the past six years, the methodology and content of the specific communication activities followed the various stages of the negotiation process between the Croatia and the European Union.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 26 September 2011

English studied as a foreign language by 95% of pupils at upper secondary level in the EU27 in 2009. In the EU27 in 2009, 82% of pupils at primary and lower secondary level and 95% of those in upper secondary level general programmes were studying English as a foreign language.

The second most commonly studied foreign language at primary and lower secondary level was French (16% of pupils), followed by German (9%) and Spanish (6%), while at upper secondary level it was German (27%), followed by French (26%) and Spanish (19%). On the occasion of the 10th European Day of Languages, celebrated each year on 26 September, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, publishes data on language learning of school pupils. The general objectives of this event are to alert the public to the importance of language learning, to promote the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe and to encourage lifelong language learning in and out of school.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 26 September 2011

European Day of Languages: Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, has signed a joint declaration with Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, to re-affirm their commitment to multilingualism.

'You live a new life for every new language you speak; if you know only one language, you live only once.' This Czech proverb is one of the slogans for the 10th European Day of Languages, which was marked on and around 26 September with events including conferences, quizzes, poetry readings and street games.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 26 September 2011

The European Union's budget for 2012 should be increased by EUR 13.1 million to help European institutions prepare for Croatia's forthcoming admission, and the bulk of the increase is intended for the European Parliament and costs related to Croatian deputies in that law-making body. (Hina)

A few days ago the European Commission forwarded amendments to the 2012 draft budget which was made public this spring and should be adopted in November. The EU budget is within the jurisdiction of the European Parliament and the Council which make decisions on it following proposals from the Commission. The Commission has now submitted an amendment to the draft budget as the date of Croatia's admission to the EU was not known during the elaboration of the 2012 draft budget. In June, the European Council designated 1 July 2013 as the day when Croatia should join the European bloc.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 21 September 2011

The Croatian government posted on its web site the text of Croatia's EU accession treaty. (Hina)

The government has made available on its web site a Croatian translation of the treaty, which is still subject to legal and linguistic revision, as well as the English-language draft accession treaty. The 195-page text is divided into five sections, from treaty principles and adjustments to permanent and provisional regulations, and regulations on the implementation of the treaty.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 17 September 2011

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk formally presented the draft of Croatia's EU Accession Treaty to Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor during his visit to Zagreb on Saturday, saying that he would be very pleased if the document were signed in Warsaw as the capital of the country that currently holds the six-month EU rotating presidency. (Hina)

The English-language draft was presented at a press conference which opened with the playing of the national anthems of the European Union, Poland and Croatia. "This is an extremely important and historic moment of joy and happiness for us all," Kosor said, thanking her Polish counterpart for personally bringing the document to Zagreb. Tusk praised his host for her courage and commitment, describing the Croatian prime minister as a "heroine of history".

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 15 September 2011

Mr. Radovan Fuchs, Croatian Minister of science, education and sports, participated at the meeting organised by Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn with ministers in charge of science and research from countries of South East Europe, beneficiaries of the pre-accession assistance (IPA Programme).

At the meeting, the European Commission representatives presented the work so far done on establishment of a new science and research framework programme (Horizon 2020) which will replace the existing 7th Framework Programme for Science and Research (FP 7) and the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme in the new Financial Perspective (2014-2020).

NEWS

BRUXELLES, 14 September 2011

Croatia's treaty of accession with the European Union will be signed this December, after parliamentary elections in Croatia if they are to be held on 4 December, and the place and the exact date of the treaty-signing ceremony have not yet been determined, a source in the Polish presidency of the European Union told Hina. (Hina)

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will arrive in Zagreb on Friday evening and on Saturday morning he will deliver the draft of the Treaty to his Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor, a source from the Polish EU presidency said.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 6 September 2011

According to an opinion poll on Croatia's admission to the European Union, commissioned by the Delegation of the EU to Croatia and carried out by the Ipsos Puls agency right after the country completed its EU talks, 57% of probable voters in Croatia would vote in favour of Croatia's EU entry.

A total of 53 percent of Croatian citizens would vote in favour of Croatia's EU entry while 40 percent would vote against joining the bloc, according to an opinion poll on Croatia's admission to the European Union, commissioned by the Delegation of the EU to Croatia and carried out by the Ipsos Puls agency in the period from 8-26 July 2011, right after the country completed its EU talks.

NEWS

SOPOT, 3 September 2011

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković participated, for the first time since Croatia closed the negotiations with the EU, in the Informal Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (the so-called “Gymnich Meeting”), held 3 September 2011 in Sopot, the Republic of Poland.

The topics of the informal ministerial meeting included the current situation in the countries of southern and eastern EU neighbourhood, as well as the common efforts being put forth to aid the democratic transition in those countries.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 30 August 2011

EurActiv re-inforces presence in candidate countries: Croatia, Montenegro and Iceland.

EurActiv, the European media network, recently established partnerships in Croatia, Montenegro and Iceland. These three new partnerships are the latest extension to EurActiv’s partner network that already covered 15 European capitals and provided coverage in 15 languages.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 26 July 2011

52% of Croatian support EU entry

Public support for Croatia's EU entry is growing - if the referendum on EU entry was held today, 52% of the respondents would vote for EU entry, 38% would vote against and 10% would be undecided, according to a poll carried out by the Ipsos Puls agency. The results of the poll, published on Tuesday, showed that 82% of citizens would most definitely and probably participate in the referendum, while 15% said they were not interested in the referendum.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 22 July 2011

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković met 22 July 2011 with the Head of the EU Delegation to Croatia, Ambassador Paul Vandoren, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Wieslaw Tarka, and Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark Bo Eric Weber.

Minister Jandroković was presented the priorities of the Polish EU presidency that, apart from signing the Accession Treaty with Croatia, will emphasize the implementation of the measures for achieving and sustaining stability, as well as a stronger economic integration. This will include the defining of the year-long financial framework and budget of the EU. Another priority will be the safe Europe, in terms of strengthening the energy and defence policies, and the open Europe, in terms of further progress in implementing the enlargement and strengthening the neighbourhood policy.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 13 July 2011

Croatian State Secretary meets European Commission Representatives

The Croatian sate secretary for European integration process, Andrej Plenković, on Wednesday held talks with representatives of the European Commission about further activities in informing European Union bodies and meeting obligations after the conclusion of Croatia's EU entry talks, the Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry said in a statement. Both sides expressed satisfaction with Croatia's recently concluded membership negotiations. It was said that Croatia had met its obligations from the entry talks.

NEWS

DUBROVNIK, 9 July 2011

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković moderated the panel discussion entitled “EU Enlargement” at the Croatia Summit in Dubrovnik on Saturday, 9 July 2011.

Minister Jandroković recalled the recent conclusion of Croatia's accession negotiations on full membership of the European Union, highlighting the symbolic connection with the twentieth anniversary of Croatia's independence.

NEWS

DUBROVNIK, 9 July 2011

„ Croatia Summit 2011 - A New Decade for South East Europe – Finalizing the Transition“

Europe's openness to new enlargements, insistence on the fact that Western Balkan countries must not become forgotten countries, and congratulations to Croatia on the recent completion of accession negotiations with the European Union were the main topics of the opening addresses at Croatia Summit 2011 which was held in the southern Adriatic resort of Dubrovnik.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 1 July 2011

During the press conference held by Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor on Friday, 1 July 2011, the negotiating positions of the Republic of Croatia in the negotiations with the European Union were presented to the public.

At the intergovernmental conference on the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the EU, held in Brussels 30 June 2011, negotiations on accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union were formally concluded.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 30 June 2011

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković headed on Thursday, 30 June 2011, the Croatian delegation at the Intergovernmental Conference on Croatia’s accession to the European Union.

At the intergovernmental conference, the remaining four negotiation chapters were closed: 8 – Competition Policy, 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, 33 – Financial and Budgetary Provisions and 35 – Other Issues. The accession negotiations between the Republic of Croatia and the European Union were thereby technically closed.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 24 June 2011

European Union leaders on Friday officially announced the completion of Croatia's EU accession negotiations and the country's admission to the Union on 1 July 2013. (Hina)

"Madam Prime Minister, I have the honour to convey to you the good news on behalf of the 27 Heads of State and Government: Croatia will become the 28th Member State of the European Union," European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said in Brussels addressing Croatia's PM Jadranka Kosor.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 23 June 2011

Croatian Prime Minister and HDZ president Jadranka Kosor said in Brussels on Thursday that she would thank her colleagues from the European People's Party for their help ahead of a European Council decision on the completion of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union, which is expected tomorrow. (Hina)

"The primary message is that we are completing the negotiations by the end of June. I will take this opportunity to thank everyone, first and foremost my colleagues from the EPP and the European Commission, which gave a positive opinion. We expect the European Council to say tomorrow what we have been waiting for for a long time, the completion of the negotiations," Kosor told the press ahead of an EPP meeting.

NEWS

LUXEMBOURG, 20 June 2011

On Monday, 20 June 2001, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković participated in the forum of foreign ministers of European Union Member States and Southeast European countries held in Luxembourg after the meeting of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council.

Minister Jandroković expressed satisfaction with his participation in this forum at a time when Croatia's negotiations are drawing to a close and thanked the European Union Member States for their support of Croatia throughout this process. He called to mind the European Commission's recent statement inviting Member States to conclude the negotiation process with Croatia and expressed his firm belief that the European Council would also confirm the end of accession negotiations with Croatia, thus allowing for the signing of the Accession Treaty during Poland's presidency of the European Union.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 17 June 2011

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said after talks with Croatian President Ivo Josipovic in Brussels on Friday he believed that leaders of EU member-countries would adopt a decision on the completion of Croatia's EU entry talks at a summit to be held next week. (Hina)

A week ago, the EC submitted to the Council of the European Union its draft negotiating positions for the remaining four policy areas in Croatia's EU talks, assessing that Croatia was ready to close the talks and recommending that member-countries make a decision to that effect.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 15 June 2011

Conference „Croatia at the Doorstep of the EU

On Wednesday the 15th of June 2011 the conference „Croatia at the Doorstep of the EU“ has been held at the Fondation Universitaire, in Brussels. The event was organized by the TEPSA, the Institute for International Relations (IMO) from Zagreb, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung European Office in Brussels. Moderated by Graham Avery, the honorary Director-General of the European Commission and the former Secretary General of TEPSA, the conference began with the welcoming addresses by Prof. Jean-Paul Jacqué, Secretary General of TEPSA, H.E. Branko Baričević, Ambassador, Head of Croatian Mission to the EU and by Dr. Višnja Samardžija Head of the European Integration Department at the IMO.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 10 June 2011

The European Commission on Friday proposed to the EU Council of Ministers to close the remaining four policy chapters in Croatia's European Union accession negotiations, paving the way for Croatia to become the 28th member in the European bloc on 1 July 2013.

Announcing that the Commission greenlighted the conclusion of Croatia's membership talks, Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement that "today is a historic day for Croatia and for the European Union.""The European Commission has just proposed to the EU Council of Ministers to close the last four chapters in the accession negotiations with Croatia. This paves the way for Croatia to join the EU as the 28th Member State as of 1 July 2013, if this indicative date proposed by the Commission were to be retained by the Council.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 8 June 2011

After his talks with Croatian President Ivo Josipovic in Brussels on Wednesday, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy congratulated Croatia's citizens and government on a job well done which had enabled Croatia to enter the final round of its EU entry talks which he said would be completed "in the nearest possible future”.

"Two decades after regaining its independence and sovereignty, Croatia is now close to another historic milestone. It is on good track to complete its EU accession negotiations in the nearest possible future. The path was long and sometimes cumbersome, but you are almost there. Therefore my first words today are ones of congratulation.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 6 June 2011

Croatia on Monday provisionally closed the Fisheries policy area in its European Union accession negotiations, thus making a big step towards closing its membership talks with the bloc, which is now a matter of weeks

We are very satisfied with the outcome of today's conference and I am sure that this was not the last chapter to be closed this month," Croatia's Chief Negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak said adding that the end of the negotiations was now just round the corner

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 31 May 2011

The Croatian State Secretary for European Integration, Andrej Plenkovic, attended a conference, entitled "On the Eve of Accession - Croatia and EU's Future Enlargement", in Brussels on Tuesday.

Plenkovic spoke of the final stage of negotiations between Croatia and the European Union, the pace of the accession process and the positive effects the implemented reforms were having on Croatian society as a whole. He said that Croatia's goal was to sign the accession treaty by the end of the year, noting that the amended methodology of negotiation made it possible for Croatia to join the bloc fully prepared.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 26 May 2011

The Croatian State Secretary for European Integration, Andrej Plenkovic, attended a conference, entitled “Enhancing business cooperation within the framework of the EU Danube Strategy”, in Brussels.

The Croatian State Secretary for European Integration, Andrej Plenkovic, attended a conference, entitled “Enhancing business cooperation within the framework of the EU Danube Strategy”, in Brussels.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 23 May 2011

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković participated 23 May 2011 in Brussels in the ministerial meeting of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative.

The 13th session of the Adriatic-Ionian Council saw the foreign ministers discussing the Euro-integration processes in South Eastern Europe and the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Macroregion in the context of its current condition, as well as future development and perspectives.

NEWS

DUBROVNIK, 16 May 2011

13th EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting

The 13th EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting began in Dubrovnik on Monday, bringing together members of the Croatian and European parliaments to discuss the state of Croatia's European Union accession negotiations, the "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights" negotiation chapter, the European economy and market competition, regional policy and cross-border cooperation, and communication with citizens as part of preparations for the forthcoming EU membership referendum.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 19 April 2011

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković headed the Croatian delegation at the 7th meeting of the EU-Croatia Stabilisation and Association Council, held 19 April 2011 in Brussels.

The meeting was chaired on behalf of the EU by Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi and also saw the presence of Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle. The participants recapped Croatia’s EU accession process since March 2010, when the 6th meting of the Stabilisation and Association Council was held.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 19 April 2011

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković headed 19 April 2011 in Brussels the Croatian delegation at the Intergovernmental Conference on Croatia’s Accession to the European Union.

At the conference, the Republic of Croatia temporarily closed another two chapters in the EU accession negotiations – Chapter 11: Agriculture and Rural Development, and Chapter 22: Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments, which makes for 30 temporarily closed of the 35 chapters overall.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 18 April 2011

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković met 18 April 2011 in Brussels with Chairman of the European People's Party Group in the European Parliament Joseph Daul.

The collocutors expressed satisfaction with the mutual contacts, stressing their importance in light of the role the European Parliament already played for Croatia, which will be even more important in the period after the closing of the negotiations and prior to acceding to the full-fledged EU membership.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 18 April 2011

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Gordan Jandroković met 18 April 2011 in Brussels with Member of the European Parliament Ivo Vajgl.

Minister Jandroković thanked MEP Vajgl for supporting Croatia’s EU membership, which he has expressed on numerous occasions, both personally and on behalf of his political group.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 18 April 2011

Belgian Minister meets Croatian State Secretary

Olivier Chastel, the minister of development cooperation in charge of European affairs at the Belgian Foreign Ministry, held talks in Brussels on Monday with Croatian State Secretary for European Integration Andrej Plenkovic, who informed the Belgian official of the current state of Croatia's EU entry talks and plans for closing the remaining negotiating areas by the end of June, the Croatian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 3 March 2011

Croatian PM at opening of EPP conference: Croatia is returning home

Croatia will do its share of the job and enter the European Union proudly and with its head up, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said at the opening of a two-day conference of the European People's Party (EPP) in Zagreb on 3 March. "We will truly do our job and enter the European Union proudly and with our heads up, owing to the knowledge of thousands of Croatians and our determination to return home. We see that as returning home, to our European, civilisation circle," Kosor said at the opening of the conference entitled "Croatia: a new model for enlargement".

NEWS

ZAGREB, 3 March 2011

EU Commissioner Reding praises Croatia for impressive progress in judiciary

Croatia has made impressive progress in the policy chapter No. 23 "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights", the European Commissioner for Justice, Viviane Reding, said in Zagreb on Thursday where she arrived for a two-day meeting of the European People's Party (EPP) Group Bureau. Addressing reporters, the European commissioner said the Commission's interim report on Croatia's performance in Judiciary and Fundamental Rights was an encouragement.

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ZAGREB, 3 March 2011

Participants in EPP conference say Croatia on threshold of EU membership

Croatia has made great progress in reforms and it is very close to accomplishing its goal of joining the European Union, which will depend on its commitment to fully meet the set criteria, primarily in the area of judiciary and fundamental rights, it was said at a two-day conference of the European People's Party (EPP) Group Bureau which started in Zagreb on Thursday. The EPP Group Bureau organised the conference "Croatia: A New Model for Enlargement" in Zagreb as a way of showing its support to Croatia, which is close to completing its EU entry talks.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 3 March 2011

Kosor says door open for completing EU entry talks in June

Croatia has received confirmation that the door is open for completing accession negotiations with the European Union in June and now everything has to be done to achieve that, Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said after meeting European Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding in Zagreb on Thursday. "We have received confirmation that the door for June is open. Now we will do our best and walk through the door in June," said Kosor.

NEWS

BRSSELS, 2 March 2011

Fuele: Croatia has made 'considerable progress' in Chapter 23, additional efforts required

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said on Wednesday that Croatia's goal to complete EU accession negotiations was "very ambitious", that Zagreb should redouble its efforts to meet the benchmarks in the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter, and that accomplishment of that goal depended on Croatia. The ball is now in the Croatian court, Fuele told Hina in an interview after the European Commission adopted an interim report on Croatia's performance in Chapter 23 - Judiciary and Fundamental Rights.

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ZAGREB, 2 March 2011

Drobnjak: It's possible to wrap up EU entry talks in June

Croatia's chief negotiator with the European Union, Vladimir Drobnjak, said on Wednesday that the European Commission's interim report on the progress of Croatia in meeting the benchmarks in the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter was "good and beneficial", adding that "the very high grades that we have been given" left open the possibility of concluding accession negotiations in June. "The report is good because it says that significant progress has been made, ... and such a high grade means that the government's efforts have been recognised and praised," Drobnjak said at a press conference.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 14 January 2011

Jandrokovic and Swoboda discuss Croatia's EU accession process

Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Gordan Jandrokovic, on Friday received the European Parliament's Rapporteur for Croatia and vice-chairman of the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, Hannes Swoboda, informing him about Zagreb's efforts to complete EU membership negotiations by the end of the Hungarian EU presidency in June and to sign the accession treaty as soon as possible. Jandrokovic said the government was determined to press on with reforms in key areas to meet the given benchmarks in the remaining open chapters, (reform of the judiciary and public administration, the fight against corruption and the restructuring of the state-owned shipyards).

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 22 December 2010

Three policy chapters closed, Croatia one step closer to completion of EU entry talks

Croatia on 22 December closed three more policy areas in its EU accession talks, making one more step towards the accomplishment of its goal - to complete the negotiations by the end of Hungary's EU presidency in June 2011. At an intergovernmental accession conference held in Brussels at the ministerial level, Croatia closed negotiations in chapters No. 24 - Justice, Freedom and Security, No. 27 - Environment, and No. 31 - Foreign, Security and Defence Policy. Croatia now has 28 closed negotiation chapters, and seven chapters remain to be closed next year, or six, if one does not count the policy area Other Issues, which is not negotiated.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 30 November 2010

EU-Croatia Joint Committee says entry talks can be wrapped up in first half of 2011

A two-day meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee in Brussels ended on 30 November with the adoption of a declaration stressing that the accession negotiations could be wrapped up in the first half of next year, provided that Croatia met all the benchmarks in the remaining negotiation chapters. The Committee held its twelfth meeting at the European Parliament, discussing the European Union's relations with Croatia and the state of the accession negotiations, notably judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organised crime, cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal, refugee return, minority issues, the impact of Croatia's accession on the countries in the region, the communication strategy, and a referendum on EU accession. 

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BRUSSELS, 30 November 2010

EU-Croatia Joint Committee says entry talks can be wrapped up in first half of 2011

A two-day meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee in Brussels ended on 30 November with the adoption of a declaration stressing that the accession negotiations could be wrapped up in the first half of next year, provided that Croatia met all the benchmarks in the remaining negotiation chapters. The Committee held its twelfth meeting at the European Parliament, discussing the European Union's relations with Croatia and the state of the accession negotiations, notably judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organised crime, cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal, refugee return, minority issues, the impact of Croatia's accession on the countries in the region, the communication strategy, and a referendum on EU accession. 

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 5 November 2010

Croatia given important transitional periods in EU accession talks

At an accession conference held at the deputy level in Brussels on Friday, Croatia closed three more policy areas in its EU accession talks, obtaining important transitional periods. Croatia closed negotiations in the policy areas No. 4 - Free Movement of Capital, No. 14 - Transport Policy, and No. 34 - Institutions. The number of provisionally closed negotiating chapters thus rose to 25 out of 35. Croatia will have 12 seats in the European Parliament and seven votes in the decision-making system in the European Council, and Croatian will become the 24th official language of the EU.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 26 October 2010

Croatian justice minister meets EU justice and enlargement commissioners

Justice Minister Drazen Bosnjakovic met with European Union Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele in Brussels on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Bosnjakovic said that Croatia would pass a few more laws relating to judicial reform by the end of next month. "We have done a huge amount of work. Our plan is to complete all legislative activities by the end of November, which means that we need to pass a few more laws. After that we need to ensure their implementation, which has already begun in many segments," Bosnjakovic said.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 25 October 2010

Kosor receives full support for fight against corruption

European Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding extended in Brussels on Monday full support to Croatia and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor in the fight against corruption, regardless of who was suspected. It was a pleasure and an honour to take part in a very successful working lunch with a strong woman who is required to adopt strong solutions in Croatia at this moment, Reding said after meeting Kosor. Working like that, Kosor will build a strong Croatia in which integrity prevails and where judicial independence is normal, which is especially good for business, for Croatian children and their future, said Reding.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 25 October 2010

Barroso says Croatia's progress big, accession date after completion of negotiations

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso welcomed on Monday Croatia's progress towards the European Union, saying that it was possible to wrap up the accession negotiations next year but that in its upcoming progress report, the Commission would not suggest any date. The Croatian government has embarked on important reforms and I would like to applaud Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's determination on this path. The accession negotiations are proceeding at a steady pace, Barroso said after meeting with Kosor in Brussels.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 7 October 2010

Work remains only in six policy areas, chief negotiator says

Croatia's European Union accession negotiations are on the right track to completion, the focus now being on finalising work in six chapters, or policy areas, chief Croatian negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak said in Brussels on Thursday after a working meeting with EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele. Croatia has opened all 33 chapters and has provisionally closed 22. In five of the 11 chapters that are yet to be closed, the work has been completed and needs formal approval.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 5 July 2010

Kosor, Van Rompuy discuss Croatia's progress

Croatia's success on the road to the European Union will be a positive signal to the region that EU accession is possible, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said in Zagreb on Monday after meeting Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor. In downsizing the court system, Croatia has merged 40 per cent of courts and is willing to fully meet all the benchmarks set for the negotiation chapter "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights," said Kosor.She said she and Van Rompuy also talked about the Competition Policy chapter, which regards shipbuilding, and voiced confidence that negotiations on this chapter would be closed soon. She added that the government was cooperating "with the unions, managing boards and workers" in the shipyards.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 30 June 2010

Accession conference starts in Brussels, Croatia set to open 3, close 2 chapters

The intergovernmental conference at which Croatia is expected to open the remaining three chapters in its EU entry talks, started in Brussels on Wednesday. Croatia started the talks in late 2005 and is aiming to conclude them before the end of the year. That could pave the way for EU membership around 2012 or 2013, considering the time necessary for ratification of its Treaty of Accession by the bloc's existing states.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 30 June 2010

Kosor: Croatia has started running last 500 m of its marathon for EU membership

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said in Zagreb on Wednesday that at today's pre-accession conference Croatia had started running the last 500 metres of its marathon race for membership of the European Union, underlining nevertheless that the last leg was a very difficult one. At a pre-accession conference held in Brussels on Wednesday, Croatia opened the last three unopened policy areas in its EU membership talks - Judiciary and Fundamental Rights; Competition Policy; and Foreign, Security and Defence Policy, and closed two policy areas - Public Procurement and Taxation. Croatia now has opened all policy areas and it has closed 20 of the 33 areas that are negotiated.

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BRUSSELS, 25 June 2010

COREPER okays opening of 3 remaining chapters in Croatia's EU entry talks

The Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union (COREPER), which consists of heads or deputy heads of missions from the EU member states in Brussels, on Friday give the green light to the opening of the remaining three unopened negotiating areas within Croatia's EU membership talks, which means that the policy chapters -- "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights", "Competition Policy" and "Foreign, Security and Defence Policy" will be opened at an intergovernmental accession conference next week. According to sources from the EU Council, COREPER adopted with no discussion the joint negotiating positions on the above-mention policy chapters. The committee also greenlighted the provisional closing of "Public Procurement" policy chapter at the conference set for 30 June.

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BRUSSELS, 25 June 2010

Belgium to ensure smooth continuation of Croatia's EU entry talks

The European Union's Belgian presidency will attempt to ensure a smooth continuation of accession negotiations with Croatia, which are nearing completion, but cannot make a commitment that they will be wrapped up by the end of the year, the most senior Belgian officials said on Friday. Belgium is taking over the EU's rotating presidency on July 1.Belgium will promote good progress in negotiations with Croatia, but is not committing to a time frame, Prime Minister Yves Leterme told a news conference in response to the question if Croatia could wrap up its entry talks by December 31, the end of Belgium's presidency.

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ISTANBUL, 22 June 2010

Jandrokovic for separating EU entry talks from outstanding bilateral issues

During their European Union accession process, all countries should separate negotiation issues from possible outstanding bilateral issues with neighbours, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said in Istanbul on Tuesday. Building good neighbourly relations on confidence, understanding and cooperation is very important for resolving outstanding issues, he said at a meeting of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), citing the settlement of the Croatian-Slovenian border issue as a positive example.Jandrokovic thanked Turkey for successfully chairing the SEECP in the past period, saying a recent Sarajevo conference on Southeast Europe had given impetus and a message to all countries in the region to continue implementing reform requirements.

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MOSCOW, 18 June 2010

Kosor says Brammertz has acknowledged Croatia's efforts

In his latest report to the UN Security Council, the chief prosecutor of the Hague war crimes tribunal, Serge Brammertz, has acknowledged the efforts Croatia is making, Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Friday, adding the government's Task Force would continue searching for the wartime artillery logbooks sought by the tribunal. "I had been saying for some time that Brammertz would acknowledge Croatia's efforts to overcome the difficulties and this report shows that Brammertz has acknowledged what we have been doing," Kosor told Croatian press covering her visit to Moscow.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 17 June 2010

Justice minister says Croatia must open policy chapter on judiciary on June 30

Croatia must open the negotiation chapter on the judiciary in its EU accession talks on June 30, so that it could wrap its membership talks by February 2011 at the latest and sign an accession treaty with the EU by the summer of next year, as that is the only way it can take part in talks on the next EU budget to be held during Poland's EU presidency in the second half of 2011, Croatian Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic said in Zagreb on Thursday. Simonovic made the statement in an address to reporters after talks with Polish Justice Minister Krzysztof Kwiatkowski.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 16 June 2010

Round table debate on EU funds held in Croatian parliament

Croatia aims to use more than 90 percent of funds which the European Union will make available to it, the head of the national committee for overseeing Croatia's European Union accession negotiations, Vesna Pusic, said in Zagreb on Wednesday. Addressing a round table discussion on EU funds, which was held in the Croatian parliament, Pusic said that everything which Croatia missed to use from those funds could be viewed as "direct loss".The effects of the use of EU funds can be seen the best at a local level where they can facilitate better living conditions, Pusic said speaking of financial assistance in building culture centres, pre-school facilities, railways, public utilities etc.

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LUXEMBOURG, 14 June 2010

Zbogar says Slovenia has no reservations about Croatia opening Competition Policy chapter

Arriving in Luxembourg on Monday for an European Union ministerial meeting, Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar said his country had no reservations about the opening of the Competition Policy chapter within Croatia's EU accession negotiations and that it would set no conditions for the opening of negotiations in the three remaining policy areas."Concerning the Competition Policy chapter, there are no outstanding issues. The issue of the Ljubljanska Banka is not linked with the Competition Policy," the Slovenian official said.

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LUXEMBOURG, 14 June 2010

Netherlands no longer setting conditions for opening but closing of judiciary chapter

Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said in Luxembourg on Monday the EU had decided that full cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal must be one of the benchmarks for closing the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights negotiation chapter in EU entry talks, which should mean that Croatia will open the chapter at an accession conference scheduled for June 30.

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LUXEMBOURG, 14 June 2010

Brammertz says has no reason to doubt Croatia will expand artillery logs probe

The Hague war crimes tribunal's chief prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, said in Luxembourg on Monday he had no reason to doubt that Croatia would continue and expand the investigation into wartime artillery logbooks whose results to date had been only limited. I said that we received a number of reports from the (Croatian) task force set up last year and whose results so far, unfortunately, have been very limited, Brammertz told reporters after briefing European Union foreign ministers about his assessment of Croatia's and Serbia's cooperation with the Hague tribunal.I visited Croatia several days ago, talked with government representatives and was assured that investigations would continue and be expanded, that now many avenues which my office identified several months ago would be more aggressively investigated. I have no reason to doubt that, but I very much hope that there will be additional results in the near future, said Brammertz.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 13 June 2010

Perception of corruption in government in Croatia drops 10% from 2006 - survey

Last year the perception of corruption in government in Croatia dropped 10 per cent compared to 2006, but nine percent more people considered corruption to be widespread in business, a survey shows.The survey on corruption in the Balkans was carried out by the public opinion research institute Gallup Europe in 2009 and its results were presented in Brussels this past week.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 11 June 2010

PM Kosor and Enlargement Commissioner Fuele meet in Brussels

After meeting European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele in Brussels on Friday, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor expressed optimism about Croatia achieving its objectives regarding its European Union membership talks.Kosor described her talks with Fuele as very good and exhaustive, reiterating that Croatia wanted to have the remaining three policy chapters opened by the end of the Spanish EU presidency and to have as many chapters as possible closed by that time, namely, by the end of this month.

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BRUSSELS, 11 June 2010

PM Kosor expects opening of remaining three negotiating areas by June's end

Croatia expects the opening of the remaining three unopened policy chapters (negotiating areas) within its accession negotiations with the European Union by the end of this month and the completion of the technical negotiations by the end of this year, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said in Brussels on Friday after meeting European Council President Herman van Rompuy."We expect the opening of all three chapters by the end of the Spanish (EU) presidency, as in our opinion all requirements to this effect have been met," the Croatian premier said.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 11 June 2010

Kosor expects Brussels to acknowledge Croatia's efforts in cooperation with ICTY

Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has said that during her meeting with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels on Friday she will discuss Croatia's cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal and that she expects Croatia's efforts to be acknowledged."We will address cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal (for the former Yugoslavia) and the assessment of the chief prosecutor that we are awaiting," Kosor said on Croatian Television on Thursday night.

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BRUSSELS, 11 June 2010

Belgium expects date for EU accession treaty with Croatia to be set by year's end

Belgium does not expect that Croatia will manage to close all negotiation chapters in its EU entry talks by the end of Belgium's EU presidency, but feels that the date for the signing of the accession treaty with Croatia will be known towards the end of the year, a Belgian official said on Friday.The Belgian Ambassador to the European Union, Jean De Ruyt, was presenting in Brussels the programme of Belgium's EU presidency from July 1 to December 31, 2010.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 10 June 2010

Jandrokovic: Pahor said Slovenia would not set new obstacles

Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said on Thursday he did not expect new Slovenian blockades of Croatia's European Union accession negotiations, in accordance with announcements from Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor.He was asked by the press to comment on announcements from the Slovenian Foreign Ministry that Slovenia will make the opening of the negotiation chapter "Competition Policy" and the closing of chapters on the free movement of goods and capital conditional on allowing Nova Ljubljanska Banka to operate in Croatia.

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BRUSSELS, 10 June 2010

Drobnjak optimistic about opening of remaining negotiation chapters

Croatia's chief negotiator in European Union entry talks, Vladimir Drobnjak, said in Brussels on Thursday he was optimistic that Croatia could open the remaining policy chapters at an accession conference later this month, including the most demanding one which concerns the judiciary and fundamental rights.He was speaking to the press after meeting Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 10 June 2010

Asselborn: Opening of Chapter 23 is a political decision that needs to be taken

European Union member states are aware of the fact that the opening of Chapter 23 - Judiciary and Fundamental Rights - is a political decision that needs to be taken, and Luxembourg will fully support it, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said in Zagreb on Thursday after meeting his Croatian counterpart Gordan Jandrokovic.I believe the opening of that chapter will open the door to fixing a date for the accession of Croatia to the European Union, Asselborn said at a joint press conference.

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BRUSSELS, 9 June 2010

Swoboda urges opening Chapter 23 regardless of possible tiny shortcomings

EU countries should adopt a political decision on opening the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter in Croatia's EU entry talks, disregarding possible tiny shortcomings which Croatia must remove to achieve full cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal, in order to give Croatia a chance to show its full judicial reform capacity, the European Parliament rapporteur on Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, said on Wednesday.He was speaking to press in Brussels after meeting the Croatian state secretary for European integration, Andrej Plenkovic.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 7 June 2010

EC sees referendum result as step forward

The European Commission welcomes the outcome of Slovenia's referendum on its border arbitration agreement with Croatia as a step forward, but it is still to early to say when Croatia will exactly wind up the membership talks, the spokeswoman for European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele told Hina.It is clear that the decision of the Slovenian people is a step forward and we welcome it, said the spokeswoman Angela Filote on Monday.

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BRUSSELS, 7 June 2010

Plenkovic: Croatia doesn't expect any EU member to put its accession treaty to referendum

Croatia does not expect any EU country to put its accession treaty to a referendum, Croatian State Secretary for European Integration Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday. "I don't believe any of the EU member states will put the accession treaty with Croatia to a referendum," Plenkovic said in a talk to diplomats, journalists and representatives of interest groups at the Centre for European Political Studies in Brussels.Plenkovic said that lessons should be learned from several unsuccessful referendums in Europe, when their outcomes had consequences outside the countries where they were held, and that therefore governments should take responsibility and ratify Croatia's accession treaty in their parliaments.

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BRUSSELS, 7 June 2010

Barroso welcomes outcome of Slovenia's referendum

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso welcomed the outcome of Slovenia's referendum on its border arbitration agreement with Croatia as an important signal for the region as well as for the relations between Croatia and Slovenia."This is an important step forward," Barroso said in a statement, welcoming the support which the Slovenian people gave to the agreement at the referendum."We now look forward to a final settlement of the dispute. Resolving this bilateral issue is an important signal for the region and the relations between Slovenia and Croatia," he said in the statement.

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BRUSSELS, 3 June 2010

Diplomat says there is realistic chance of chapter No. 23 being opened after Brammertz's report

The assessment of Croatia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), presented in a report submitted to the UN Security Council by ICTY chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz, is as expected, Croatia's progress in an investigation into missing military documents sought by the tribunal has been commended, but the report also notes that not all investigation avenues have been examined, Hina learned from diplomatic sources on Thursday.Such an evaluation leaves enough room for the European Union to decide to open talks with Croatia on policy chapter No. 23, Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, by the end of the month.A European diplomat told Hina he believed that there were realistic chances of the chapter being opened by the end of the month and that Brammertz's report left enough room for a positive outcome.

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ZAGREB, 1 June 2010

Croatian and Belgian PMs discuss Croatia's EU membership bid

Croatia will have no obstacles to the speedy completion of its accession negotiations with the European Union as soon as its solves problems regarding shipyards, border disputes with its neighbours and issues related to the Policy Chapter No. 23, particularly those ones concerning the full cooperation with the Hague tribunal, Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme said in Zagreb on Tuesday after talks with his Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor. Belgium takes over the rotating six-month presidency over the European Union on 1 July.

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ZAGREB, 1 June 2010

Belgian Embassy clarifies PM Leterme's statements

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme said after talks with Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor in Zagreb on Tuesday that the Belgian government expected the Croatian government to do its best to solve outstanding bilateral issues with neighbouring countries and that this could in no way be interpreted as a new condition for Croatia's accession to the European Union, the Belgian Embassy in Zagreb said in a statement clarifying Leterme's statements. "On the occasion of his meeting today in Zagreb with H.E. Mrs. Jadranka Kosor, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Yves Leterme, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium, stated that the Belgian Government expects the Croatian Government to invest its best efforts in solving the open bilateral issues with the neighbouring countries. This should in no way be interpreted as a new conditionality to the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union," the Embassy said in the statement.(H)

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ZAGREB, 28 May 2010

Commissioner expects closing of Environment chapter this year

The visiting European Union Commissioner for Environment, Janez Potocnik, has said in Zagreb that the closing of the Environment policy chapter within Croatia's EU membership talks is expected in the first half of Belgium's EU presidency in the second half of 2010. Potocnik, who was on a two-day visit to Croatia, told a news conference on Friday that the Environment negotiating area would be provisionally closed after Croatia met benchmarks and that currently negotiations were being held on transitional periods requested by Croatia.Croatia should meet benchmarks in the Environment policy chapter No. 27. The talks are being finalised for transitional periods, particularly relating to waste water, air quality and industrial pollution, Potocnik said after he visited the EU Delegation in Zagreb.

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ZAGREB, 27 May 2010

Croatian foreign minister receives EU environment commissioner

The Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Gordan Jandrokovic, on Thursday received the European Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potocnik, who had arrived for a two-day visit to Croatia. According to a statement from the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry, Jandrokovic updated his guest on the process of Croatia's accession to the European Union. Stressing that the accession negotiations were in their final stage, he said that Croatia remained committed to accomplishing its goal of technically completing the accession process by the end of the year.

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BRUSSELS, 25 May 2010

EC submits to EU Council draft negotiating position on Chapter 23

The European Commission confirmed on Tuesday it had submitted a draft negotiating position on Chapter 23, which deals with the judiciary and fundamental rights, in accession negotiations with Croatia. The EU member states now have to endorse the position, and an assessment of Croatia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) by the tribunal's chief prosecutor will play an important role in that.An EU draft negotiating position has been forwarded to the Council of the European Union, the Office of Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele told reporters.

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BRUSSELS, 19 May 2010

Fuele says cooperation with Hague tribunal key for opening Chapter 23

Croatia's progress in cooperation with the Hague war crimes will be key in convincing European Union countries to allow the opening of negotiations on the chapter Judiciary and Fundamental Rights as part of Croatia's EU entry talks, Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele has said. Addressing the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in Strasbourg on Monday, Fuele said he expected he would submit soon to the Council of the EU a draft joint negotiating position for opening Chapter 23, but added that cooperation with the Hague tribunal would be key in assuring EU countries to open the chapter.

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BRUSSELS, 18 May 2010

Suker says government economic recovery programme assessed positively by EU

The European Union has positively assessed Croatia's Pre-accession Economic Programme (PEP) and the government's economic recovery programme, and the current situation in Croatia is much better than in many EU member countries, Finance Minister Ivan Suker said in Brussels on Tuesday. "Today we discussed the pre-accession programmes of the candidate countries Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey. Croatia's PEP received a good assessment as did its economic recovery programme," said Suker, who attended in Brussels a regular annual meeting of economy and finance ministers from EU countries and candidate countries, focusing on fiscal and economic policies.

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ZAGREB, 8 May 2010

Lange announces closing of many chapters, says Brammertz's report very important

Dirk Lange, the European Commission's chief negotiator in Croatia's European Union entry talks, has said that June will be a month of a massive closing of policy chapters and opening of the remaining ones. Lange, who is also the chief of the department for Croatia at the European Commission Enlargement Directorate-General, has also said negotiations on the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter could have been opened sooner had there been full cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal.Speaking to Privredni Vjesnik magazine, Lange said the chapters which could be closed next month were Transport Policy, Taxation, Financial Control, and Public Procurement, adding the Agriculture and Rural Development chapter could be closed by the end of the year.

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ZAGREB, 8 May 2010

Kosor says Croatia deserves to wrap up EU entry talks this year

Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Saturday Croatia had deserved to wrap up European Union accession negotiations this year and sign an accession treaty "so that we can finish the job by 2011". Speaking at a celebration for the European Union's day, Kosor said this was the last year that Croatia was marking this occasion as a EU accession candidate.She said she expected many negotiation chapters to be closed by the summer, adding she was optimistic about the opening of talks on the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter.

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ZAGREB, 6 May 2010

Pusic: Croatia has a chance of completing EU entry talks as planned

Croatia still has a chance of completing its EU entry talks by the end of the year as planned, and of opening the policy chapter Judiciary and Fundamental Rights before the summer, the head of the national committee monitoring Croatia's accession talks, Vesna Pusic, said on Thursday. "I think we have a chance," Pusic told reporters after a three-hour session of the committee, adding that various tasks had to be carried out, including political ones.Pusic said the committee today discussed two policy chapters in Croatia's EU entry talks - Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy (policy chapter No. 12) and Transport Policy (policy chapter No. 14). The two chapters are among the 15 chapters that have not been provisionally closed yet.Pusic said the committee expected the policy chapter Judiciary and Fundamental Rights (No. 23) to be opened by the summer. This chapter is one of the three chapters that have not been opened yet, the other two being Competition Policy and Foreign, Security and Defence Policy.

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BRUSSELS, 5 May 2010

Minister Šimonović confident that judiciary chapter will be opened in June

After talking with EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding in Brussels on Wednesday, Croatian Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic said he was confident that Chapter 23 Judiciary and Fundamental Rights in Croatia's European Union entry talks would be opened in June. Simonovic, who has recently been appointed UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, is convinced he will have finished the work concerning the opening of negotiations on (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights Chapter) before taking up the position of UN Assistant Secretary-General."I sincerely hope and firmly believe that Chapter 23 Judiciary and Fundamental Rights will not only be opened, but that I will be able to negotiate with my colleagues the guidelines for the closing of the said chapter," Simonovic told reporters after the talks with Reding, who was not available for comment.

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ZAGREB, 3 May 2010

Josipovic: Fighting corruption is a fight for European Croatia

President Ivo Josipovic attended an event called EU Days at Zagreb's Faculty of Economics on Monday, saying that Croatia was fully committed to combating corruption and organised crime. "Fighting corruption is a fight for European Croatia. All state institutions are committed to the fight against corruption and crime, and their cooperation with the government is excellent," Josipovic said in his address to students, faculty and foreign diplomats.Noting that there was a full consensus at all levels of government on combating corruption, Josipovic said that the biggest corruption lay in public resources management.

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ZAGREB, 2 May 2010

Croatians would vote for EU accession if referendum were held today

If a referendum on Croatia's European Union membership were organised now, the majority of Croatians who would vote would opt for accession, according to a public opinion survey whose results were released on Wednesday. The April survey by the Ipsos Puls-Public Affairs agency shows that 76 per cent of Croatians would vote in a referendum on the country's accession to the EU, of whom 53 per cent would vote for accession.The survey covered 1,000 citizens and was commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.

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ZAGREB, 29 April 2010

Europe Week to be held in Croatia in May for 10th consecutive year

Croatia's Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry will organise Europe Week from 3 to 10 May, with many events to be held throughout the country. Announcing the programme for the tenth Europe Week in Croatia, Ministry State Secretary Andrej Plenkovic said that this year marking Europe Week was especially important as Croatia was at the final stage of its accession negotiations with the European Union.He said that the public therefore had the right to be fully informed of all aspects of the negotiating process.Plenkovic cited results of the latest opinion polls showing that if a referendum on Croatia's EU entry were to be held now, 76 percent of eligible voters would turn out and of them, 56 percent would vote for EU membership. Currently 40 percent of Croatians are against accession, with seven percent of voters being indecisive.

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ZAGREB, 15 April 2010

PM Kosor opens event on EU funding opportunities

Admission to the European Union is the goal of all goals for Croatia, its most important goal both on the foreign and on the home front, Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said opening an event on EU funding opportunities, called "Croatia in Europe, Europe for Croatia", in Zagreb on Thursday. Kosor said that the EU would set aside EUR 2.2 billion for the first two years of Croatia's membership, plus special funds for agriculture amounting to EUR 670 million, and that as of 2014 Croatia would be entitled to receive annual funding worth EUR 1.6 billion.

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BRUSSELS, 14 April 2010

Fuele says EC doing everything for Croatia to wrap up entry talks as soon as possible

The completion of the accession talks in 2010 is a challenge for the Croatian government and the European Commission advocates that this be done as soon as possible, Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said in Brussels on Wednesday, underlining that full cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal is very important for progress in the EU entry negotiations. Croatia is making progress in meeting membership criteria, Fuelle said at a plenary session of the Committee of the Regions, praising a constructive approach in the border dispute with Slovenia.

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BRUSSELS, 13 April 2010

Croatia to close negotiations on free movement of goods on Monday

At the next intergovernmental accession conference, scheduled for April 19, Croatia will close negotiations on Chapter 1 - Free Movement of Goods, but none of the three as yet unopened chapters will be opened, Spanish EU Presidency spokeswoman Cristina Gallach confirmed to Hina on Tuesday. Gallach said that the Spanish EU Presidency was planning another conference at the ministerial level in June, at which several policy chapters were expected to be opened and closed.

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ZAGREB, 6 April 2010

Croatian foreign ministry official meets EU delegation chief

The State Secretary for European Integration at the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Andrej Plenkovic, met with the head of the European Union Delegation to Croatia, Paul Vandoren, in Zagreb on Tuesday to discuss Croatia's progress towards EU membership and an intergovernmental conference scheduled for April 19, the Croatian ministry said in a statement. The two officials highlighted the progress Croatia had made in the opening of Chapter 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and Chapter 8 (Competition).

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ZAGREB, 30 March 2010

Croatia-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee ends two-day meeting

The Croatian co-chair of the Croatia-European Union Joint Parliamentary Committee, Marija Pejcinovic-Buric, said on Tuesday she hoped that Croatia's EU accession negotiations would be the topic of only one more committee meeting, the next one in November, and that future meetings would address topics current at the time of accession, such as ratification of the accession treaty. Pejcinovic-Buric was speaking at a joint news conference with the committee's other chair, Swedish member of the European Parliament Gunnar Hoekmark, at the end of a two-day committee meeting in Zagreb.Pejcinovic-Buric said the committee's goal was to facilitate and expedite the negotiations of EU accession candidates, adding that the Zagreb meeting paid special attention to the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights negotiation chapter.

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BRUXELLES, 30 March 2010

Fuele: Croatia will join EU without monitoring mechanism

Croatia has made good progress in recent months, there are no problems that could not be overcome and the country should be able to join the European Union without such monitoring mechanisms as were introduced in the case of Bulgaria and Romania, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said in an interview with the Internet portal Euractiv on Tuesday. "We are so focused on the quality of accession negotiations that speculation about an eventual monitoring mechanism does not have any place and I take my responsibilities very seriously in this regard. I am not in the business of running an accession process that requires such a mechanism," Fuele said when asked if monitoring mechanisms like those put in place for Bulgaria and Romania were envisaged for Croatia.

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ZAGREB, 29 March 2010

Croatia-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting begins

The Croatia-European Union Joint Parliamentary Committee began its 11th meeting in Zagreb on Monday and the two-day event is addressing the state of Croatia's EU accession negotiations, judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organised crime, Croatia's relations with neighbouring countries, the economic policy, energy sector reform, and the EU's common foreign and defence policy. The meeting was opened by the Croatian co-chair of the committee, Marija Pejcinovic-Buric.The other committee chair, Swedish member of the European Parliament Gunnar Hoekmark, voiced hope that Zagreb, which he described as a very European city, would soon become the capital of the EU's 28th member.

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ZAGREB, 29 March 2010

Kosor receives European Parliament delegation

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor on Monday received a European Parliament delegation led by Gunnar Hoekmark, who commended Croatia's progress in the European Union accession process and voiced confidence that Zagreb would be the 28th capital in the EU, the government said in a press release. Hoekmark said the Croatian-Slovenian model of resolving problems could have a positive effect on the development of relations in the entire region. He praised the fact that Croatia gave its translation of the EU acquis communautaire to other countries in Southeast Europe.

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BRUSSELS, 25 March 2010

PM says Croatia doing its utmost to wrap up EU entry talks this year

The Croatian government is doing its best in order to ensure the completion of the accession negotiations with the European Union by the end of this year, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Thursday after her meeting with European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele in Brussels. "I have told the ministers to personally oversee the processes. I can say that we talk around the clock about those processes, achievements and what should be done. This was also the topic of my talks with Fuele," Kosor said.Fuele expressed hope that by the end of the Spanish EU presidency (30 June this year) Croatia would open the three remaining unopened policy chapters and close a majority of them.

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BRUSSELS, 23 March 2010

FM says Croatia has arguments in favour of opening all remaining policy areas in April

Croatia is doing all it can to open the remaining unopened policy chapters in its EU accession talks at the next intergovernmental accession conference, to be held in the second half of April, and it believes that it has arguments in favour of that, Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said in Brussels on Tuesday. "I would like all chapters to be opened. Croatia is doing its best for that to happen, but it is up to member-states to verify our achievements, and I believe they have enough good arguments to open all policy chapters in April," Jandrokovic said after a meeting of the Croatia-EU Stabilisation and Association Council, the highest joint body supervising the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.Croatia has so far opened 30 of 33 policy areas of the EU acquis communautaire that are negotiated. The chapters that remain to be opened are Judiciary and Fundamental Rights; Competition Policy; and Foreign, Security and Defence Policy.

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ZAGREB, 22 March 2010

EU-Croatia Stabilisation and Association Council to convene in Brussels on Tuesday

The Stabilisation and Association Council between Croatian and the European Union will hold its six meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. Croatia's delegation will be headed by Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic and the EU delegation will be led by Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, the Croatian foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

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BRUSSELS, 16 March 2010

EC forwards to EU Council Croatian gov't letter on shipyards

The European Commission on Tuesday forwarded to EU member-countries a letter from the Croatian government citing several measures it could take in case the second round of privatisation of the state-owned shipyards failed, an EC official in charge of Croatia said. Acting in agreement with the Croatian government, we forwarded the letter, which cites some options, to EU member-countries for consideration, said Dirk Lange, head of the department for Croatia at the Directorate General Enlargement.Lange on Tuesday participated in a preparatory meeting of the Joint EU-Croatia Parliamentary Committee, which it to convene in Zagreb on March 29-30.

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VIENNA, 15 March 2010

Austrian president backs plans for completion of Croatia's EU entry talks this year

Austria believes that Croatia can wrap up accession negotiations with the European Union this year and join the Union in 2012, Austrian President Heinz Fischer said after talks with his Croatian counterpart Ivo Josipovic in Vienna on Monday. "There are good chances for negotiations to be completed this year," Fischer said, adding that this would pave the way for Croatia's admission to the EU in 2012."Austria's position is clear, we support that approach. It is good for both Croatia and the region, and for the EU," the Austrian head of state said.Croatian President Josipovic said his country was grateful to Austria for the assistance it had been offering since Croatia gained independence and for its current support to Croatia's EU membership bid.

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BRUSSELS, 11 March 2010

Leterme says Belgium will encourage Croatia's EU entry talks

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has announced that in the second half of the year, when Belgium will chair the European Union, his cabinet will encourage Croatia's EU accession negotiations, voicing hope that they can be wrapped up by the end of the year. "In principle, Croatia should wrap up the negotiations... What is certain is that we will encourage this issue. That is very important. One has to make the people realise that their accession is not an illusion," Leterme said in Thursday's interview with the Belgian newspaper L'Echo.Since EU enlargement will be one of the priorities in the second half of the year as well, Leterme visited Macedonia and Kosovo earlier this week.

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ZAGREB, 6 March 2010

Jandrokovic attends informal meeting of EU foreign ministers

The Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Gordan Jandrokovic, on Saturday attended an informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers from EU member states and membership candidates in Cordoba, Spain, where he spoke of Croatia's EU accession process. According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Jandrokovic said that Croatia fully supported all Southeast European countries in their efforts to join the European Union by offering them its own experience. In this context he cited the decision by the Croatian government to offer its translation of EU legislation to its neighbours.Jandrokovic stressed the importance of the clear prospect of EU membership as the best catalyst for the implementation of demanding reforms.

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BRUSSELS, 5 March 2010

Van Rompuy: Croatia can finish its EU entry talks this year

Croatia can complete its EU accession talks this year on condition it meets the necessary membership criteria, and it has the EU's full support in doing so, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said after talks with Croatian President Ivo Josipovic in Brussels on Friday. The European Union supports Croatia's admission. It will give a positive signal to the region. Croatia has made great progress in its accession talks in recent years, and they are now entering their final stage and can be finished this year on condition the required membership criteria are met, Van Rompuy said after the meeting.The EU official underlined the importance of regional cooperation and improvement of relations with neighbouring countries, notably Bosnia-Herzegovina, which he said should not be allowed to lag behind the rest of the region.

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BRUXELLES, 5 March 2010

President Josipovic meets European Commission president

Croatia must implement the necessary reforms regardless of the process of its accession to the European Union, which is nearing completion even though a lot of work remains to be done, Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in Brussels on Friday. "The weaknesses that we have in agriculture and shipbuilding are primarily our own internal weaknesses which have not been dealt with for years. The reforms that must be implemented in agriculture and shipbuilding must be undertaken regardless of when we will join the EU, and they would have to be implemented even if we were not joining the EU. I had spoken earlier about problems in the system of government incentives, which were not given to producers, and that must change," Josipovic said after the talks with Barroso.

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BRUSSELS, 4 March 2010

Josipovic and Buzek confident Croatia will join EU soon

Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said in Brussels on Thursday that they were confident that Croatia would very soon become a member of the European Union, underlining that the remaining work on reforms was being done not only for the sake of EU membership, but for the sake of Croatian citizens. "The fact that Croatia's EU accession talks are now in the final stage was in the focus of our talks. We are aware of the conditions that we must meet. We have strong motivation in the government, among opposition parties, in the parliament. All relevant political forces in Croatia are really united on the issue of EU membership. I am very optimistic and hope that Croatia will soon be a member of the EU," Josipovic said after meeting Buzek.We are sure of that, Buzek said in response to Josipovic's statement.

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ZAGREB, 25 February 2010

Parliament endorses plan of activities for wrapping up EU entry talks

Croatia is already functioning as a European Union country, Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said in parliament on Thursday presenting a plan of legislative activities for the completion of Croatia's accession negotiations with the EU. "Croatia is looking optimistically at 2010 as an important year for the completion of the negotiations," he said, adding Croatia had opened negotiations on 30 of the 33 policy chapters of the EU acquis communautaire.Seventeen chapters have been provisionally closed and we expect to open the remaining thee chapters (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, Competition Policy, and Foreign, Security and Defence Policy) by the end of June, during Spain's EU presidency, Jandrokovic said, adding the success of the negotiations was also evidenced by the fact that a task force had started drawing up the accession treaty.

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BRUSSELS, 19 February 2010

Croatia opens two more chapters in EU entry talks

Croatia opened in Brussels on Friday negotiations on two policy chapters in its European Union accession talks which had been blocked for a long time, on the environment and fisheries, whereby the number of opened chapters rose to 30. "We are very happy with the opening of these two chapters. This has confirmed once again that we are in the final stage of our negotiations and this eliminates doubts in the successful completion of our negotiations," Vladimir Drobnjak, Croatia's chief EU entry negotiator, said after a Croatia-EU accession conference.

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ZAGREB, 18 February 2010

Josipovic sworn in as third president of Croatia

Shortly after noon on Thursday, Ivo Josipovic took solemn oath as the third Croatian president at an inauguration ceremony in Zagreb's St. Mark's square, thus beginning his five-year term in office. By taking oath before Constitutional Court President Jasna Omejec and court judges, Josipovic swore loyalty to the Constitution. According to the oath he took, Josipovic has sworn that he will conscientiously and responsibly perform the duty of the President of the Republic to the benefit of the Croatian people and all Croatian citizens.He also pledged that as head of state, he would abide by the Constitution and laws, see to it that the constitutional order of the Republic of Croatia is respected, watch over the proper and fair functioning of all bodies of state authority, and protect the independence, existence and unity of Croatia.

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ZAGREB, 18 February 2010

Croatian foreign and justice ministers meet EU enlargement commissioner

Croatia's Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic and Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic met European Union Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Stefan Fuele in Zagreb on Thursday to discuss the progress of Croatia's EU accession negotiations. The meeting focused on the current state of accession negotiations and an intergovernmental accession conference which is scheduled to take place in Brussels on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration said in a press release.Croatia is due to open talks on two policy chapters -- fisheries and the environment -- in Brussels on Friday.

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ZAGREB, 18 February 2010

Kosor, Fuele discuss completion of EU entry talks this year

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor on Thursday received European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele, who welcomed Croatia's considerable progress in accession negotiations with the European Union and stressed that 2010 was the year in which this big and demanding job was expected to be completed, the government said in a press release. Fuele also welcomed the border arbitration agreement with Slovenia and the resolute fight against corruption, voicing confidence that Croatia would continue to invest maximum effort in its cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal.Fuele said he wanted to see Croatia in the EU in 2012, adding the achievement of that goal was also important for strengthening stability throughout southeast Europe.

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BRUSSELS, 17 February 2010

COREPER unblocks Judiciary chapter, calls Croatia to give its negotiating position

COREPER, the Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union, made up of heads or deputy heads of missions from EU member states in Brussels, on Thursday decided to unblock the policy chapter No. 23 on the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights within Croatia's EU accession negotiations and called on Croatia to forward its position on the chapter. The committee also greenlighted the opening of another two chapters -- Environment and Fisheries.

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STRASBOURG, 10 February 2010

Fuele: European Commission encouraged by Croatia's efforts in combating corruption

The newly-appointed European Union Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fuele, said at a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday that the European Commission was encouraged by the efforts Croatia was undertaking in combating corruption and that Zagreb could wrap up accession negotiations this year provided it continued making progress in meeting the required standards. We are encouraged by developments in recent time in the fight against corruption. We hope investigations into irregularities are leading to concrete results, Fuele said in his first speech since taking over as Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy.Croatia can still complete negotiations in 2010 provided it continues making progress in meeting all the standards. The ball is in Croatia's court. Croatia must focus on further reforms of the judiciary and public administration, the fight against corruption and organised crime, minority rights, including the return of refugees, as well as on war crimes trials and full cooperation with the Hague tribunal, Fuele said during a debate on EU membership candidate countries.

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STRASBOURG, 10 February 2010

European Parliament adopts resolution on Croatia by overwhelming majority

The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted by an overwhelming majority of votes a resolution on the progress of Croatia to European Union membership, saying that accession negotiations could be completed this year provided Croatia met the required criteria. The resolution was carried with a vote of 582 in favour, 24 against and 37 abstentions.There were no major changes to the text of the draft resolution that was endorsed by the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in late January.European Parliament resolutions are not legally binding, but they send out an important political signal on issues they concern.The European Parliament believes that accession negotiations should proceed smoothly so that they could be completed in 2010, on the condition that Croatia meets all benchmarks for the opening and closing of the negotiation chapters, reads the resolution.

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ZAGREB, 20 January 2010

Simonovic: Croatia has definitely declared war on corruption

Croatia has definitely declared "an all-out war" on corruption and organised crime and is gaining ground in that war, Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic said on Wednesday. "We have the will and the capability to purge Croatia of corruption successfully," Simonovic said in a Croatian Radio programme.Simonovic said that corruption in high places was always the most dangerous, because it was difficult to expose it, but stressed that on the political level there were no doubts about the need for combating corruption because both Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and President-elect Ivo Josipovic had defined it as the top priority."Over the past year, we have launched a series of investigations," he said, noting that the appointment of Jadranka Kosor as prime minister had provided fresh impetus to the fight against corruption.

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ZAGREB, 19 January 2010

Croatian FM meets EU ambassadors

The Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Gordan Jandrokovic, met in Zagreb on Tuesday with ambassadors Manuel Salazar of Spain, Marc de Schoutheete de Tervarent of Belgium, Peter Imre Gyoerkoes of Hungary and the head of the European Union Delegation in Croatia, Ambassador Paul Vandoren. The meeting focused on the priorities of the Spanish EU Presidency in the first half of this year and an 18-month EU presidency plan jointly prepared by Spain and future EU presidents Belgium and Hungary, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration said in a statement.Jandrokovic thanked the EU member states and the EU Delegation for their support last year, expressing hope that the good cooperation would continue this year, when Croatia is expected to complete its accession negotiations.

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ZAGREB, 11 January 2010

Ivo Josipovic's CV

Ivo Josipovic, a Social Democratic Party member of Parliament, university professor and composer, was elected President of Croatia in the second round of voting on Sunday. Josipovic was born on 28 August 1957 in Zagreb, where he finished primary and secondary school and graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1980. He earned his doctoral degree in 1994 and teaches international criminal law at the Zagreb Faculty of Law.Josipovic represented Croatia at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court in The Hague, contributed to several international legal projects, and as a Council of Europe expert he participated in the assessment of prison conditions in Ukraine, Mongolia and Azerbaijan.

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ZAGREB, 11 January 2010

Ivo Josipovic elected President of Croatia

Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Ivo Josipovic was elected President of Croatia in the second round of voting on Sunday, capturing 60.26 per cent of the vote (that is 1,339,385 of cast ballots), according to complete official results released by the State Electoral Commission (DIP) at midday. His rival, independent candidate Milan Bandic, received 39.74 per cent (883,222), DIP chairman Branko Hrvatin said at a press conference. A total of 6848 polling stations were opened in Croatia and abroad. The turnout was 50.13 per cent and 98.64 per cent of ballots were valid.

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BRUSSELS, 21 December 2009

Croatia closes two more chapters within its EU entry talks

Croatia provisionally closed another two policy chapters -- "Right of Establishment and Freedom to Provide Services" and "Social Policy and Employment" -- within its accession negotiations with the European Union, at an intergovernmental conference in Brussels on Monday. Thus, the number of closed chapters has risen to 17. Three policy chapters that have been for long time technically prepared for the opening were not today opened as Slovenia, an EU member, had not okayed it. Those policy chapters are "Foreign, Security and Defence Policy", "Environment" and "Fisheries".

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BRUSSELS, 17 December 2009

Croatia to close 2 more policy chapters in EU talks on Monday

European Union countries on Thursday approved the closing of two chapters in accession negotiations with Croatia which, after an accession conference in Brussels next Monday, will have closed more than half the negotiation chapters, according to diplomatic sources. COREPER, the committee comprising EU countries' ambassadors, greenlighted the closing of the chapters "Right of Establishment and Freedom to Provide Services" and "Social Policy and Employment".Croatia will wrap up this year with 28 negotiation chapters opened and 17 closed. Croatia is negotiating 33 of the 35 chapters of the European acquis communautaire. The excluded chapters are "Institutions" and "Other Issues".

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 15 December 2009

Croatia's GDP per capita in 2008 stood at 63 pct of EU average

Croatia's gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita was 63 per cent of the European Union average last year, according to figures released on Tuesday by Eurostat. Croatia has a higher GDP than five EU countries -- Lithuania (62 per cent of the EU average), Latvia (57%), Poland (56%), Romania (47%) and Bulgaria (41%).Of the EU's 12 new countries, Croatia's GDP is below Hungary (64 per cent of the EU average), Estonia (67%), Slovakia (72%), Malta (76%), the Czech Republic (80%), Slovenia (91%) and Cyprus (96%).

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 7 December 2009

Work on Croatia's accession treaty to start already this month

The European Union Permanent Representative Committee (COREPER) on Monday decided to set up a task force in charge of drawing up an accession agreement with Croatia, which is expected to become operational as early as this month, Hina learnt from diplomatic sources. COREPER accepted the proposal of the Swedish presidency which said it was time to start drawing up Croatia's accession agreement, given that Zagreb had advanced far down the road to the European Union.COREPER adopted this decision without a debate and it will be formally accepted at the level of EU foreign ministers who convened this afternoon.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 7 December 2009

EU adopts financial package for Croatia

The European Union General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on Monday adopted a draft financial package for the first two years of Croatia's EU membership. The package has been prepared by the European Commission on the working assumption that Croatia will join the bloc in January 2012.In the first two years of EU membership, namely in 2012 and 2013, a total of EUR 3.568 billion of EU budgetary funds will be allocated to Croatia.Croatia will be able to access most of this amount through Cohesion and structural funds and in the first two years it will be able to draw a total of EUR 2.205 billion. To be granted this amount, Zagreb must prepare quality projects. Each project is financed from European funds in the amount of 85 percent at the most, while the rest is financed by a member state.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 1 December 2009

EU officials present Lisbon reform treaty in Zagreb

The Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force on December 1, will help the democratisation, transparency and efficiency of the functioning of the European Union, top EU representatives in Croatia said in Zagreb on Tuesday, adding that by accepting the treaty, the bloc kept its promise that it would be ready to accept Croatia as a member. The head of the Delegation of the European Union to Croatia, Paul Vandoren, and Swedish Ambassador Fredrik Vahlquist, whose country is currently presiding over the EU, presented the EU reform agreement which entered into force after being ratified by all 27 EU member states.Vahlquist said December 1 was a big day for the European Union. Today, cooperation among the EU member states entered a new era. The EU is now ready for new challenges, Vahlquist said.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 27 November 2009

Croatia closes three chapters in its EU entry talks

Croatian closed negotiations on three policy chapters in its European Union entry talks at an intergovernmental accession conference held in Brussels on Friday. With a total of 15 provisionally closed chapters, Zagreb now expects the forming of a task force to draw up an accession treaty for Croatia. The chapters that were closed today are Financial Services, Energy, and Consumer and Health Protection."Croatia closed another three chapters today, and this raises the number of closed chapters to 15, which is extremely important not only in the context of the further dynamic and success of our process, but also for the forming of a Council of the EU task force which will draw up the accession treaty," Croatia's chief negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak said after the accession conference.By the end of the Swedish EU presidency, namely by the end of this year, Croatia could open another three and close one or two chapters in its EU membership talks.

NEWS

STRASBOURG, 26 November 2009

Croatia to close three policy chapters in its EU entry talks on Friday

The Committee of Permanent Representatives of EU member-countries (COREPER) on Thursday adopted at a meeting in Brussels a decision enabling Croatia to temporarily close three policy chapters in its European Union entry talks at an accession conference to be held on Friday, Hina learned from diplomatic sources. Ambassadors from EU member-countries confirmed that Croatia had met benchmarks for the closing of the policy chapters Financial Services, Energy, and Consumer and Health Protection.The three chapters will be formally closed at an accession conference in Brussels on Friday. The conference will be held at the ambassadorial level, and Croatia's delegation will be headed by the country's chief negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak.Once the three chapters are closed, Croatia will have 15 temporarily closed policy chapters. The country has so far opened 28 policy chapters.

NEWS

STRASBOURG, 26 November 2009

EU-Croatia JPC calls on fast opening of Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter

The EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which on Thursday finished its two-day meeting in Strasbourg, called on the Council of the European Union to make a decision on opening the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights policy chapter within Croatia's EU accession negotiations as soon as possible and the committee pointed out mid-2010 as a deadline for the completion of the membership talks. We call on the Council of the EU to decide as soon as possible on the opening of the policy chapter no. 23, Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, which will provide an additional impetus to Croatia's internal reforms, according to a declaration with recommendations which the JPC adopted at the end of its meeting in Strasbourg.The Croatian co-chairman of the committee, Mario Zubovic, a parliamentary deputy of the ruling Croatian democratic Union (HDZ), said that this recommendation was very important for Croatia, which is waiting for opening the said chapter although it has met all the benchmarks.

NEWS

STRASBOURG, 25 November 2009

Accession treaty to be drafted soon, if Croatia continues with progress

The Swedish European Union Presidency has announced that it could soon convene a working group to draw up an accession treaty for Croatia, provided that Croatia makes sufficient progress in meeting EU membership criteria. If Croatia makes sufficient progress, we will convene an ad hoc working group to draw up an accession treaty on the basis of the text prepared by the Commission, said Ambassador Per Sjoegren, who represented the Swedish EU Presidency at a meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).The committee began the two-day meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday afternoon.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 24 November 2009

EP foreign affairs committee adopts draft enlargement resolution

Members of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs on Monday evening adopted a daft resolution on the enlargement strategy which says Croatia can wrap up its entry negotiations by mid 2010 if Zagreb picks up the pace on reforms and meets the necessary criteria, including full cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. The draft, based on a report by Gabriel Albertini, will be discussed at the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg on Wednesday. The voting will take place on Thursday.The draft resolution covers all EU candidates and potential candidates. The European Parliament's enlargement resolutions are legally non-binding documents.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 18 November 2009

Jandrokovic believes Croatia's cooperation with Hague tribunal will be assessed positively

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said on Wednesday that Croatia would do its best to prove that it was cooperating fully with the Hague war crimes tribunal, expressing confidence that the assessment of that cooperation by the tribunal's chief prosecutor would eventually be positive. "We have seen a draft report on Croatia's cooperation with the Hague tribunal. We will do everything in our power to prove, before the report is finalised, that our cooperation with the Hague tribunal is complete," Jandrokovic said ahead of a conference on the completion of Croatia's European Union entry talks and the prospect of EU membership for other countries in the region, organised in Zagreb by Wilton Park, one of the world's leading centres for the discussion of international issues.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 16 November 2009

Simonovic says unblocking of chapter on justice, fundamental rights could begin in December

Croatian Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic held talks in Brussels on Monday with European Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot and Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask, voicing hope that the unblocking of negotiations on the Justice and Fundamental Rights chapter in Croatia's accession talks with the European Union could begin in December. Simonovic was attending an EU-Western Balkans ministerial forum on the judiciary and internal affairs. On the fringes of the forum, he met Barrot, Ask, and Bosnian and Montenegrin Justice Ministers Barisa Colak and Milos Radovic.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 8 November 2009

EC prepares financial package under which Croatia can expect entry into bloc in 2012

The European Commission has prepared the main elements of a financial package under which Croatia would be entitled to slightly over EUR 3.5 billion from European Union funds in the first two years of its membership, assuming that it will become an EU member on 1 January 2012. The proposal, prepared by the EC, the bloc's executive arm, will be considered by the Council of the European Union, that is by member-states, by the end of this year.The document starts from the working assumption that Croatia will join the EU in January 2012, provided that membership criteria are met.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 5 November 2009

Swoboda welcomes signing of arbitration agreement

The European Parliament rapporteur on Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, on Thursday welcomed the signing of an arbitration agreement between Croatia and Slovenia, calling upon the parliaments of the two countries to ratify the document without delay. Presenting a progress report on Croatia before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Swoboda said that the arbitration agreement provided the basis for the settlement of a long-standing border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 5 November 2009

EC prepares financial package for agriculture, rural development and fisheries in Croatia

The European Commission has prepared a financial package under which Croatia, once it joins the European Union, would be entitled to some EUR 800 million from the EU budget annually for agriculture, rural development and fisheries, Croatian Agriculture Minister Petar Cobankovic said on Thursday. "This financial envelope is in line with our calculations. We can say that we are satisfied, even though as minister I would want more, but one has to be realistic," said Cobankovic, who today held talks with the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mariann Fischer Boel, and the Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg.

NEWS

STOCKHOLM, 4 November 2009

Croatia and Slovenia sign arbitration agreement

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and her Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor signed an agreement in Stockholm on Wednesday referring a border dispute between their countries to an international arbitration tribunal. The Swedish Prime Minister and president of the European Council, Fredrik Reinfeldt, signed the agreement as a witness.

NEWS

STOCKHOLM, 4 November 2009

Croatia, Slovenia open new chapter in their relations, PMs say

The signing of the border arbitration agreement is a big day not only for Croatia and Slovenia, but for Europe and the international community as well, and it opens a new chapter in relations between the two neighbouring countries, signatories to the agreement said in Stockholm on Wednesday. I would like to say a couple of words to the citizens of Croatia. This is indeed a step we have made for the sake of Croatia's future and the future of our children, and this step has opened the door a little and brought new hope to our neighbours in Southeast Europe as well. I can say that Croatia will fully help its neighbours in their Euro-Atlantic integration, said Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 28 October 2009

Croatia expects to open and close several negotiation chapters by year's end

Croatia expects to open and close a few more policy chapters in its accession negotiations with the European Union this year, provided it reaches an agreement with Slovenia, the head of the national committee monitoring Croatia's EU accession negotiations, Vesna Pusic, said at a press conference in Zagreb on Wednesday. Current EU president Sweden plans to hold two more intergovernmental accession conferences on Croatia before the end of the year.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 22 October 2009

Croatia granted EUR 250 million from EU pre-accession funds by mid-2009

In the period from 2003 to mid-2009, Croatia received EUR 250.17 million through pre-accession programmes of the European Union, and EUR 239.8 million of that amount was spent on different projects, Finance Ministry State Secretary Ivana Maletic said in Zagreb on Thursday. Presenting a document on the use of EU pre-accession financial assistance in the first half of 2009, which the government is expected to send into parliamentary procedure today, Maletic told a news briefing that the degree of utilisation of funds from the CARDS 2003 and 2004 programmes was 97.7 and 94.6 percent respectively.The utilisation of funds from the PHARE 2005 and 2006 programmes was at the level of 87 and 85 percent respectively.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 22 October 2009

Rehn welcomes possible progress in combating corruption in Croatia

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on Thursday declined to comment on the latest corruption-related arrests in Croatia, but welcomed possible progress in combating corruption. You well know that one of the key conditions for EU entry is to have credible structures for combating corruption and organised crime and law enforcement agencies that can perform their work in a credible manner. I suppose an encouragement relating to the enlargement process will have a certain impact on reforms in Croatia in that regard, but I am not in a position to comment on individual cases, Rehn said in Brussels.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 20 October 2009

Justice minister expects judiciary chapter to be unblocked by year's end

Croatian Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic in Brussels on Tuesday expressed hope that Croatia's negotiations on the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter within its EU membership talks would be unblocked by the end of this year, stressing however that this did not mean that negotiations on the said chapter would be launched in that period. "This is a longer process because member countries must first adopt the European Commission's recommendation to open the chapter after which Croatia will be invited to submit its negotiating position, which we are ready to do the following day. After that, the EU needs to adjust its negotiating position and identify benchmarks for the closure of the chapter. I sincerely hope that the process will be launched by the end of the year," Simonovic told reporters in Brussels where he is taking part in a conference on people trafficking.

NEWS

WASHINGTON, 15 October 2009

Bozinovic says US wants to see Croatia join EU as soon as possible

The United States want Croatia to join the European Union as soon as possible, said Davor Bozinovic, state secretary in the Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry after talking to US deputy secretary of state James Steinberg in Washington on Wednesday. After the meeting in the State Department, Bozinovic said the talks focused on global, regional and bilateral issues, including Croatia's membership of the EU, which the United States fully supports.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 15 October 2009

Croatian foreign minister meets EC official

Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic on Thursday received for talks the head of the EC Enlargement Directorate-General's unit for Croatia, Dirk Lange, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Jandrokovic expressed satisfaction with the annual progress report on Croatia which the European Commission published on Wednesday, underlining its importance for the completion of Croatia's EU entry negotiations.Jandrokovic also said Croatia was aware of the challenges ahead, stressing, however, that Croatia remained committed to meeting the remaining obligations from its entry talks so that the talks could enter the final stage.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 15 October 2009

Kosor says EC's progress report proof that Croatia is at the beginning of the end of very important job

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Thursday the European Commission's progress report was a useful road map and a clear sign Croatia that was "at the beginning of the end of a very important job", expressing confidence that this time next year Croatia would wrap up its EU entry talks. "This truly is a good report. We are confident that this is the last such report on Croatia and that this time next year we will finish our EU membership negotiations," Kosor said at the start of today's government session.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 14 October 2009

MEPs join in welcoming Croatia's Progress Report, Swedish deputy praises Kosor

A co-chairman of the joint EU-Croatia parliamentary committee, Gunnar Hoekmark, on Wednesday welcomed the European Commission's latest Progress Report on Croatia which reads that Croatia is nearing the final phase of its entry into the European Union. Croatia's admission to the EU is of key importance for the integration of other countries in the region into the European bloc, according to a statement released by this Swedish MEP.

NEWS

BRUSSELS/VIENNA, 14 October 2009

Austrian politicians comment on Croatia's progress report

The European Parliament Rapporteur for Croatia, Austrian diplomat Hannes Swoboda, on Wednesday commented on European Commission's progress report on Croatia, hailing the fact that the document confirmed Croatia's progress and announcing his possible engagement in a bid to help accelerate the completion of Croatia's EU entry talks. As the European Parliament's permanent rapporteur for Croatia I will do my best for the negotiations to end by mid 2010, Swoboda said in Brussels.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 14 October 2009

Croatia must step up necessary reforms to complete EU entry talks in 2010, says Rehn

Croatia can finish its EU entry talks next year, but must step up reform efforts in the area of the judiciary and the fight against corruption and organised crime, and must urgently solve the problem of documents sought by the Hague war crimes tribunal, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Brussels on Wednesday. Croatia is nearing the finish line after four years of intensive accession talks. However, it must continue and intensify its reform efforts, notably in the judiciary and the fight against corruption and organised crime before the talks are completed. Croatia definitely must solve the problem of the ICTY's access to the sought documents as soon as possible, Rehn said while presenting an annual progress report on Croatia and the EU's enlargement strategy for next year.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 12 October 2009

EESC welcomes continuation of Croatia's EU entry talks

Representatives of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Zagreb on Tuesday expressed satisfaction with the unblocking of Croatia's EU entry talks and progress Croatia made in a large number of its negotiation chapters, said a co-chairwoman of the EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee . They also expressed hope Croatia's EU entry talks would be wrapped up next year, Lidija Pavic-Rogosic told reporters after a meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 6 October 2009

Special task force to review investigation into artillery logs sought by ICTY

A special task force in charge of reviewing an administrative investigation into artillery logs from the 1995 Operation Storm is expected to start working on Tuesday. Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has said that the task force is expected to establish "if there is anything left to be opened or closed, or that everything possible has been done" in the search of Croatian archives. In a statement released on the government's web site on Tuesday, PM Kosor said that the task force would consist of officials from various ministries and intelligence and security services, who would make a review of the administrative investigation.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 6 October 2009

Jandrokovic meets Visegrad Group ministers

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic attended in Budapest on Tuesday an informal meeting of his counterparts from the Visegrad Group countries, Spain and Belgium as future European Union presidents, and countries of southeast Europe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration said in a press release. The Visegrad Group, which comprises Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia, officially supported further EU enlargement to southeast Europe and the western Balkans.The meeting discussed the priorities and activities of Hungary's current presidency over the Visegrad Group, the integration processes of southeast European countries, and their transport and energy networks.Croatia's EU integration process was highlighted among the priorities of the Hungarian presidency as an example and motivation for other countries in the region, the press release said.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 5 October 2009

Optimism on both sides on 4th anniversary of opening of Croatia's EU entry talks

Representatives of the European Union and Croatia said in Zagreb on Monday they were pleased and optimistic about the latest developments relating to Croatia's EU membership bid, saying they hoped Croatia would wrap up accession negotiations as soon as possible and join the Union. On Friday, Croatia opened six chapters and closed five in accession negotiations at an intergovernmental conference in Brussels after Slovenia lifted its veto, while Ireland adopted the Treaty of Lisbon in a second referendum, clearing the way for its ratification by EU countries.This is a great day both for Europe and for Croatia, the Swedish Ambassador to Croatia, Fredrik Vahlquist, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said at a press conference in Zagreb.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 2 October 2009

Croatia opens six chapters and closes five as EU membership talks resume

Croatia opened six chapters and closed five in its accession negotiations with the European Union at an intergovernmental conference in Brussels on Friday, nearly a year after its neighbour, EU member Slovenia, used its veto power to block Croatia's progress towards EU membership over a bilateral border dispute. "We are now entering the final stage of EU accession negotiations," Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor told reporters during a visit to the northern Adriatic island of Krk after receiving the news from Brussels.Talks were opened on the chapters Free Movement of Capital; Taxation; Agriculture and Rural Development; Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy; Justice, Freedom and Security; and Regional Policy and the Co-ordination of Structural Instruments.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 1 October 2009

Minister Jandrokovic to head govt. delegation at Brussels intergovernmental conference

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic will be heading a government delegation at an intergovernmental conference on Croatia's accession to the European Union, to be held in Brussels on Friday, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. After the meeting, Jandrokovic, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn will hold a joint news conference.At the intergovernmental accession conference Croatia will open six and close five chapters in its EU membership talks.

NEWS

NEW YORK, 24 September 2009

Croatian foreign minister meets his British and Turkish counterparts

On the margins of the 64th session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic held talks with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the Ministry said in a statement. The talks with the British Foreign Secretary focused on the process of Croatia's EU accession. Minister Jandrokovic said that Croatia had met most of its obligations regarding accession and completed work on two-thirds of negotiating chapters.The talks also addressed the recent talks between Croatia and Slovenia, and Croatia's cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 15 September 2009

EU schedules intergovernmental accession conference with Croatia for 2 October

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country currently holds the rotating European Union presidency, sent a letter to Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor on Tuesday informing her that the next intergovernmental conference on Croatia's accession to the EU would be held on 2 October. The Swedish EU Presidency welcomed the letter Kosor had sent it last Friday after she reached an agreement with Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor on how to solve a border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia. It said that the letter "properly addressed Slovenia's reservations on prejudices on the border between Croatia and Slovenia in negotiating chapters."

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 14 September 2009

Bildt, Rehn welcome Croatia-Slovenia agreement

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn in Brussels on Monday welcomed last week's Croatia-Slovenia agreement and announced that a conference on Croatia's EU accession, at which Croatia could open and close a large number of negotiation chapters, would be held soon. I am very happy about the progress achieved, which is a big victory for both countries and for the European spirit, Bildt said about Friday's agreement between Croatian and Slovenian Prime Ministers Jadranka Kosor and Borut Pahor to resume negotiations on Croatia's EU accession and on the settlement of the Croatian-Slovenian border dispute.

NEWS

LJUBLJANA, 11 September 2009

Croatia, Slovenia agree on unblocking Croatia's EU entry talks

Croatia and Slovenia have reached agreement on the resumption of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union and the continuation of negotiations on the settlement of their border dispute, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and her Slovene counterpart Borut Pahor said after talks in Ljubljana on Friday. Kosor faxed EU president Sweden a statement saying that no document, position, written or oral statement in the Croatian negotiating process prejudges a solution to the Croatian-Slovene border demarcation issue. This guarantee also says that no document or unilateral move after 25 June 1991, when the two countries declared independence from the former Yugoslavia, has legal effect in the settlement of the border dispute, either at an arbitration court or during the EU accession negotiations.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 2 September 2009

Rehn says Croatia might wrap up EU entry talks in first half of 2010

Speaking to the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee in Brussels on Wednesday, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that Croatia might wrap up its accession negotiations in the first half of 2010 provided that it met necessary requirements. Until now, Rehn mentioned the end of 2009 as a possible time frame for the completion of Croatia's EU entry talks."If Croatia meets the outstanding benchmarks in time, especially in relation to the judiciary and ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia) cooperation and if the border issue with Slovenia is resolved soon, we may be able to conclude the accession negotiations in the course of the first half of next year, 2010," Rehn said.

NEWS

GDANSK, 1 September 2009

Croatian, Slovenian premiers hold talks

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor held talks with her Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor in Gdansk on Tuesday, after which Pahor said it was possible to agree a draft solution to the Croatian-Slovenian dispute over the next few weeks. Prior to the talks, Kosor said 95 per cent of the issue had been resolved and that "some details" remained before an integral solution was reached.She voiced hope that she would officially meet with Pahor in Slovenia very soon.

NEWS

BLED, 30 August 2009

Jandrokovic says lot has been done, lot remains to be done in Croatia-Slovenia talks

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic on Sunday met his Slovene counterpart Samuel Zbogar and Slovene Prime Minister Borut Pahor in Bled, Slovenia, to discuss the settlement of outstanding issues between the two countries, saying after the talks that a lot had been done, but that a lot remained to be done in that regard. The Croatian minister said the meeting focused on the settlement of outstanding issues which started after talks between Slovene PM Pahor and Croatian PM Jadranka Kosor in Trakoscan, Croatia, in late July.Jandrokovic said that he could not comment on today's talks in greater detail because he had agreed so with Pahor and Zbogar.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 27 August 2009

Croatian and Slovene foreign ministers to hold talks at Bled forum

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic and his Slovene counterpart Samuel Zbogar will hold talks in the Slovene lakeside resort of Bled on Sunday or Monday, a source at the Croatian foreign ministry told Hina on Thursday. The Croatian ministry expects the two ministers to meet during a conference called Strategic Forum, to be held at Bled for the fourth consecutive year. This year, the conference focuses on the global economic crisis and geo-strategic questions.

NEWS

KNIN, 5 August 2009

President, PM and parliament speaker attend Victory Day ceremony in Knin

Croatia's President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Stjepan Mesic, Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic on Wednesday attended a ceremony in Knin, which marked Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, War Veterans' Day and the 14th anniversary of the Croatian army and police operation "Storm". Fourteen army units formed into ranks at the town stadium to symbolise the 14th anniversary of the operation in which the Croatian army and police liberated the town of Knin and the largest part of the formerly Serb-held territory.

NEWS

TRAKOSCAN, 31 July 2009

Kosor and Pahor say solution could be found this year

Croatia and Slovenia have agreed on a tentative plan on how to find a solution to a border dispute that has stalled Croatia's progress towards European Union membership, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and her Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor said after talks at Trakoscan Castle, northwestern Croatia, on Friday. The solution would be worked out by the autumn and adopted by the end of the year."We have found a way to go. I am pleased that we have started to discuss things that are in the interests of both countries," Kosor said."It is possible that already this year we find a solution to both issues that are important to our countries -- resumption of Croatia's EU entry negotiations and the border dispute," Pahor said.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 27 July 2009

Rehn says Croatian-Slovene dispute possible to solve

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has expressed confidence that it is possible to find a solution to the Croatian-Slovene border dispute and ensure the continuation of Croatia's integration with the EU. It is definitely possible to find a solution to some bilateral issues, such as the bilateral border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia or the dispute regarding Macedonia's name between Macedonia and Greece. We must approach each of those issues separately, together with the countries involved, overcome the obstacles and make progress in the process of integration of the Western Balkans in the EU, Rehn told reporters in Brussels on Monday, after a regular meeting of foreign ministers from EU member-countries.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 24 July 2009

Slovenia officially blocks one more chapter in Croatia's EU entry talks

Slovenia on Friday officially blocked the closing of the policy chapter Freedom of Movement for Workers in Croatia's EU accession talks, explaining that in that chapter, too, Croatia had submitted documents prejudging the Croatian-Slovene border. This raises the number of chapters the opening or closing of which has been blocked to 14, diplomatic sources said. At today's meeting of the Council of the EU's task force for enlargement, Slovenia was the only member-country that withheld its consent for the closing of the chapter Freedom of Movement for Workers.Slovene officials said the reason for such a decision was that in its documents submitted to the European Commission Croatia was referring to the Act on the Office of Notary Public, which in turn was referring to the Act on Towns and Municipalities and its list of towns and municipalities in Croatia, including four border villages in Istria which Slovenia holds to be disputable.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 23 July 2009

Barroso says European Commission remains committed to Croatia's EU entry

The European Commission remains committed to the common goal of Croatia joining the European Union and despite the current difficulties due to Slovenia's blockade, Zagreb should continue with the required reforms, EC president Jose Manuel Barroso said in Brussels on Thursday after talks with Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor. It is now more important than ever to continue with reforms and meet all the membership requirements as soon as possible, said Barroso.The best thing Croatia can do is to continue with membership preparations and to show that reforms are giving results. This means continuing with reforms, improving cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal, impartially prosecuting war crimes in Croatia, and completing the refugee return process, Barroso said, adding the European Commission remained committed to enlargement and Croatia's membership.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 21 July 2009

Degert confident Croatia can reach its goal very quickly

The head of the European Commission Delegation to Croatia, Vincent Degert, said in Zagreb on Tuesday that Croatia had made great progress on its path to EU membership during his four-year term in the country. I came here only a few weeks after the opening of accession negotiations, and in these four years great progress has been made, a foundation has been laid for the completion of the negotiations, which I hope will happen relatively quickly, Degert told reporters after a farewell visit to President Stjepan Mesic.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 21 July 2009

Bildt calls on Croatia, Slovenia to calm their rhetoric

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt on Tuesday called on Croatia and Slovenia to calm their rhetoric, stressing that it was in the interests of both countries to settle their border dispute as soon as possible so that Croatia could step up its EU membership talks and Slovenia avoid isolation in the EU. I believe both sides have gone too far. What I said privately to Croatia and Slovenia, I will now say publicly - one should be careful with the rhetoric, the Balkans is a place where one should be careful with the rhetoric because people believe in what is being said, and that can lead to consequences, Bildt said in Brussels.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 17 July 2009

Croatian justice minister attends informal meeting in Stockholm

Croatian Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic participated in an informal meeting of EU interior and justice ministers, that took place in Stockholm between Wednesday and Friday. Simonovic held a number of meetings on the margins of the meeting with EU top officials and justice ministers of EU member states, the Croatian Justice Ministry said in a statement.Simonovic and European Vice President Jacques Barrot and Jonathan Faull, Director General of the European Commission's Justice, Freedom and Security department, talked about the state of Croatia's EU entry talks, notably the Chapter 23 on Judiciary and Fundamental Rights.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 7 July 2009

Barroso and Rehn congratulate Kosor on becoming Croatian PM

The European Commission on Tuesday welcomed the appointment of Jadranka Kosor as new Prime Minister of Croatia and said in a statement that her country's future lies in the European Union regardless of the current blockade of its accession negotiations. The Commission congratulates Jadranka Kosor on her appointment as the Croatian Prime Minister and welcomes the approval of her cabinet by the Croatian Parliament, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in their joint statement.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 6 July 2009

Croatian parliament approves PM Kosor's cabinet

Croatia's parliament approved on Monday evening a cabinet proposed by Prime Minister-designate Jadranka Kosor and dominated by her conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).The cabinet was endorsed by 83 deputies in the 153-seat assembly. A total of 45 deputies voted against and nobody refrained.Jadranka Kosor, a long-standing Deputy Prime Minister and the right hand to Ivo Sanader who last Wednesday announced his withdrawal from politics, became the first woman prime minister of Croatia since the country gained independence 18 years ago.Damir Polancec of the HDZ is Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister, Bozidar Pankretic of the Peasant Party (HSS) is Deputy Prime Minister and for the Minister of Regional Development, Forestry and Water Management, Slobodan Uzelac of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) is Deputy Prime Minister as is Djurdja Adlesic of the Social Liberal Party (HSLS).

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ZAGREB, 1 July 2009

Slovenian blockade mustn't stop or discourage Croatia - Swedish ambassador

The Slovenian blockade must in no way stop or discourage Croatia from pursuing efforts to join the European Union, Swedish Ambassador Fredrik Vahlquist said in Zagreb on Wednesday. He was speaking at a joint news conference with the head of the European Commission Delegation in Croatia, Vincent Degert, on the occasion of Sweden's six-month EU presidency, which began today.Responding to a comment from the press that the process was already halted, Vahlquist said everyone was surprised when the accession negotiations were blocked. He added that the chief negotiator and the administration were working at full speed and, together with the parliament, were aligning Croatian legislation with European standards and making preparations for membership.

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ZAGREB, 1 July 2009

Sanader quits active politics

Croatian Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) president Ivo Sanader on Wednesday withdrew from his government and party duties as well as from active politics, but would not clearly explain the reasons for this decision at an extraordinary news conference. Sanader only said he had made the decision after deep consideration, and recalled that he had been in politics 20 years, and at the helm of the HDZ for 10 years.He said he would not run for president of the republic later this year, and dismissed speculation that he is ill. "Thank God, I'm not ill," he said.He had informed President Stjepan Mesic of his decision on the phone and they are to meet for talks later in the evening.Sanader stressed that he had notified the presidents of the ruling coalition parties about his decision, that they accepted it, and that the coalition would survive in parliament.

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STOCKHOLM, 30 June 2009

Bildt calls on Croatia and Slovenia to speak less and think more

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt on Tuesday called on Croatia and Slovenia to speak less in public and to work more on thinking how to solve their bilateral dispute. There is too much public rhetoric on the matter on both sides, and this will not facilitate the situation. Therefore I recommend that both countries refrain from public statements and ponder on the matter. Sometimes thinking is a better political instrument that speaking," Bildt told a group of Brussels correspondents who were invited in Stockholm on the occasion of the beginning of the Swedish six-month presidency of the European Union on 1 July.

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BRUSSELS, 25 June 2009

Croatia's per capita GDP reaches 63 pct of EU average

Croatia's per capita GDP, expressed in terms of purchasing power parity, has reached 63 percent of the European Union average, according to first estimates for 2008 published on Thursday by Eurostat, the EU's statistics office. Croatia is followed by Hungary (62.9%) and five other EU member-countries - Lithuania (61%), Poland (57%), Latvia (56%), Romania (46%), and Bulgaria (40%).As for the 12 countries which joined the EU in the last enlargement round, six have a GDP which accounts for a bigger share of the EU average than Croatia's GDP does - Estonia (67%), Slovakia (72%), Malta (76%), the Czech Republic (80%), Slovenia (90%), and Cyprus (95%).

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BRUSSELS, 25 June 2009

Pack, Posselt slam postponement of EU-Croatia accession conference

German Christian Democrat members of the European Parliament Doris Pack and Bernd Posselt on Thursday condemned the postponement of a European Union-Croatia accession conference that was to have taken place tomorrow. The EU's Czech presidency decided yesterday to cancel the conference scheduled for tomorrow with the explanation that no negotiation chapter could have been either closed or opened.The negotiations have been blocked by Slovenia for six months over a border dispute.The suspension of the next round of the accession negotiations creates a dangerous precedent, Pack said in a statement.

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BRUSSELS, 23 June 2009

Commissioner calls on Croatia, Slovenia to resume talks on their own

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on Tuesday called on Croatia and Slovenia to resume negotiations alone on their border dispute and added that it was still possible for Croatia to bring its EU membership talks into a final stage by the end of this year, provided that Slovenia lifted its blockade on Zagreb's EU entry talks. Unfortunately, the border issue with Slovenia is blocking Croatia's negotiations. The European Commission has offered assistance in a bid to help solve the 18-year-old problem. After six months of intensive efforts and after playing extra-times, it is now on the two neighbouring countries to talk and find a solution, Rehn said while attending the opening of an exhibition on Zagreb photographs in the Commission's headquarters in Brussels.

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BRUSSELS, 18 June 2009

Sanader presents two new proposals for unblocking Croatia's EU talks

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader presented in Brussels on Thursday two new proposals for lifting Slovenia's blockade of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union if a solution was not found on the basis of Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn's initial proposal that was adopted by the Croatian parliament. Sanader presented the proposals at a Hanns Seidel Foundation panel and announced that he would also present them to the leaders of EU countries from the ranks of the European People's Party.If Rehn's proposal is not adopted, which is also the proposal of the EU presidential troika, "a proposal without amendments or changes as it was put forward on the take-it-or-leave-it principle, then I propose that the (Croatian and Slovenian) governments and parliaments adopt a joint statement saying that no decision or document prejudges a solution to the border demarcation issue," Sanader said after the panel.

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BRUSSELS, 17 June 2009

Rehn-Jandrokovic-Zbogar meeting postponed until Thursday morning

A new meeting between European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and Croatian and Slovenian foreign ministers Gordan Jandrokovic and Samuel Zbogar will be held on Thursday morning instead of this afternoon, Rehn's spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy said on Wednesday. She would not call this a postponement, saying she assumed this was how the three officials adjusted their schedules.On Monday, Rehn presented to Croatia and Slovenia a slightly changed plan for the settlement of their border row, after which it was said that Jandrokovic and Zbogar should hold consultations "at home" to see if a solution could be found to provide for the resumption of Croatia's accession negotiations with the EU, which Slovenia has been blocking for six months.

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BRUSSELS, 17 June 2009

Croatia and EC agree on models for privatisation of six state-run shipyards

Croatia and the European Commission have agreed on models for the privatisation of all six state-run shipyards and privatisation tenders are likely to be published soon, which means that Croatia has met benchmarks for opening the policy chapter Competition Policy, one of the toughest chapters in its EU accession negotiations, Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec said in Brussels on Wednesday. "I am very relieved and pleased to say that the negotiations between our negotiating team and European Commissioner for Competition Neelie Kroes have finally ended and that Croatia will soon be able to invite bids for the privatisation of all the six shipyards," Polancec said after meeting Kroes.

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LUXEMBOURG, 15 June 2009

Rehn urges for settlement to Croatian-Slovenian row until European Council's summit

The European Union's Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has said that it is necessary to make the greatest possible effort so as to find a solution to a Croatian-Slovenian border dispute and to unblock Croatia's EU accession negotiations before the EU summit scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Brussels. This is a moment of truth and we should do our utmost to solve the issue before the European Council's meeting on Thursday and Friday, Rehn said in Luxembourg on Monday morning just before his talks with the EU presidential troika consisting of France, the Czech Presidency and Sweden, on a standstill in Croatia's EU membership talks caused by the Slovenia-Croatian border row.

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ZAGREB, 10 June 2009

New meeting on Slovene blockade of Croatia's EU entry talks to be held next week

Slovenia's blockade of Croatia's EU accession talks is not in the European spirit and is not fair, and it should be lifted immediately, but since the EU lacks mechanisms to deal efficiently with that problem, Croatia will continue talks with Slovenia and the EU and a new meeting is expected next week, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said on Wednesday. "The blockade is neither in the European spirit nor is it fair, and it should be removed immediately because there is no reason for it. However, since there are no mechanisms in the EU to deal with the issue in such an efficient way, we are continuing talks with Slovenia, (Enlargement) Commissioner (Olli) Rehn, and representatives of the EU Troika. We expect a new meeting to be held next week," Jandrokovic told reporters at a ceremony marking Croatian Diplomacy Day.

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BRUSSELS, 27 May 2009

Rehn takes note of Croatia's, Slovenia's positions

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has taken note of Croatia's and Slovenia's positions on his final compromise proposal for the settlement of their border dispute and will brief the EU presidential troika in the first half of June, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said in Brussels on Wednesday. "As I announced two days ago, Croatia presented its position. We fully accepted Commissioner Rehn's final compromise proposal. Slovenia presented its position and adopted amendments which are unacceptable to Croatia. Commissioner Rehn took note of that and will brief the presidential troika," Jandrokovic said after a meeting with Rehn and Slovene Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar.

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BRUSSELS, 26 May 2009

Rehn to meet Croatian, Slovene foreign ministers Wednesday

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn will meet the foreign ministers of Croatia and Slovenia in Brussels on Wednesday, the first time after the two countries submitted their responses to his final compromise solution to the Croatian-Slovene border dispute which is also expected to result in unblocking Zagreb's EU entry talks, spokesman for Rehn Krisztina Nagy said on Tuesday. I can confirm that the meeting will take place on Wednesday afternoon, Nagy said.Rehn presented his latest proposal for the settlement of the Croatian-Slovene border dispute at a meeting with the two countries foreign ministers on 22 April. Croatia accepted the proposal on May 8. Slovenia submitted its response only last week together with several amendments.

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ZAGREB, 25 May 2009

Croatia against any amendments to Rehn's latest proposal

Croatia will not agree to any amendments to the latest proposal by European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on the resolution of a border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia which has been blocking the latter's EU accession negotiations for months, Croatia's Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said on Monday. "All what we know from the media, as we have not still been notified officially, is that the Slovenians have requested some amendments. We do not agree to amendments," Sanader said in Zagreb after a conference of Croatian exporters.He reiterated that Rehn's latest proposal was presented as "take it or leave it".

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BRUSSELS, 18 May 2009

Slovenia fails to present its response to Rehn's proposal

Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar on Monday failed to deliver Slovenia's response to European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn's final proposal for the settlement of a Croatian-Slovenian border dispute before an arbitration tribunal. Zbogar told Slovenian reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels that he did not deliver the response because of a fire that had broken out at European Commission headquarters early in the afternoon.Zbogar left for Ljubljana after the meeting and the response is expected to be presented to the European Commission on Tuesday by Slovenia's ambassador to the EU.

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BRUSSELS, 18 May 2009

Croatian Defence Ministry official meets EU ministerial troika in Brussels

Croatia's Defence Ministry State Secretary, Pjer Simunovic, attended a meeting with the European Union Troika in Brussels on Monday, which focused on the common security and defence policy and EU operations. The EU General and Foreign Affairs Council, which comprises foreign ministers from the member states, is being held in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday. The foreign ministers were joined by defence ministers and ministers responsible for development.Under discussion will be the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU military operation there, dubbed Althea, the situation in Somalia and anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.

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BRUSSELS, 13 May 2009

European Commission waiting for official response from Ljubljana

The European Commission on Wednesday declined to comment on an agreement of Slovene political parties concerning the latest proposal by EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on the settlement of the Croatian-Slovene border dispute, until it receives an official response from Ljubljana. The European Commission, however, reiterated Rehn's latest proposal was the final proposal.At this moment I prefer to refrain from further comments because we have not yet received Slovenia's formal response, spokeswoman for Commissioner Rehn Krisztina Nagy said. I know Slovene politicians discussed the proposal yesterday, but we are still waiting for a formal government response and we will not comment anything before we receive it, she said.

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BRUSSELS, 11 May 2009

Czech Republic hopes to see progress in Croatian-Slovene dispute during its EU presidency

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout in Brussels on Monday expressed hope progress would be made in the settlement of the bilateral dispute between Croatia and Slovenia by the end of the Czech Presidency of the EU by the end of June, which would enable the continuation of Croatia's EU entry negotiations. After a debate at the last meeting of the EU foreign ministers (in Luxembourg on 27 April), there is a certain hope that we will bring this matter to the end during the Czech Presidency, Kohout told reporters after a meeting between the EU Troika and representatives of Cuba in Brussels today.

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ZAGREB, 8 May 2009

Jandrokovic says agreement satisfies fundamental demands of both Croatia, Slovenia

The agreement on the settlement of the border dispute with Slovenia is good and acceptable for both sides because it satisfies the fundamental demands of both Croatia and Slovenia, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said in parliament on Friday. He said the agreement was the result of compromise after several months of debate and as many as six rounds of talks between Croatia, Slovenia and the European Commission.Jandrokovic stressed the agreement gave Croatia the separation of a border issue from the entry talks with the EU, lifted Slovenia's blockade of the talks, and provided for the settlement of the border dispute before an international judicial body.

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BRUSSELS, 8 May 2009

Rehn welcomes Croatia's positive response to his proposal

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on Friday welcomed a positive response from Zagreb to his proposal for the settlement of a Croatian-Slovenian border dispute, saying he was still awaiting a response from Ljubljana. I can confirm we have received a formal response from Croatia to Commissioner Rehn's final compromise proposal. Rehn welcomes Croatia's positive response. We are now waiting for a response from Ljubljana, Rehn's spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy said.The Croatian Parliament on Friday adopted the draft agreement on the resolution of the border dispute with Slovenia, authorising the government to initial Rehn's proposal.

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ZAGREB, 6 May 2009

Foreign ministry says Croatia accepts Rehn's proposal without any amendments

Croatia accepts the final proposal from European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn for the settlement of the Croatian-Slovene border dispute in the proposed form, without any changes, the Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, explaining that Minister Gordan Jandrokovic had already informed Commissioner Rehn and other EU commissioners of this by telephone.

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ZAGREB, 5 May 2009

Croatian state leadership accepts Rehn's proposal

Croatia accepts the latest proposal from European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn for the settlement of its border dispute with Slovenia, the Croatian state leadership decided on Tuesday after consultations with representatives of parliamentary parties. President Stjepan Mesic and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told reporters that the state leadership and the parties were agreed that Rehn's proposal should be accepted, but that details of the proposal could not be made public yet.

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LUXEMBOURG, 28 April 2009

Bildt says completing Croatia's EU talks this year difficult, but not impossible

The completion of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union by the end of this year, in accordance with the European Commission's timetable, will be a difficult and demanding task, but not impossible, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt told Hina on Tuesday. "I think it is demanding and difficult, but not impossible," said Bildt, who is due to chair the Council of the EU in the second half of the year. Yesterday, he took part in a Luxembourg meeting of EU foreign ministers which discussed Croatia's accession negotiations and the stalemate cased by Slovenia's blockade because of its border dispute with Croatia.In order for Croatia to be able to wrap up the negotiations this year, it is necessary to pursue reforms and lift Slovenia's blockade, because of which an EU-Croatia accession conference, at which negotiations on policy chapters are opened and closed, has already been postponed twice. Bildt is "cautiously" optimistic that a solution can be found based on Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn's latest proposal.

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LUXEMBOURG, 27 April 2009

EU says negotiations with Croatia in decisive phase, important to step up reforms

The European Union feels that in the past year Croatia has made good progress in accession negotiations, which have entered a decisive stage, and encourages Zagreb to continue building on what has been achieved by stepping up reforms in key areas, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said in Luxembourg on Monday. The EU commends Croatia for the considerable efforts invested in the past year and for good progress in general. The negotiations have entered the decisive stage, he said after the fifth meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Council, the body in charge of following the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement which convenes once a year.Croatia's delegation was headed by Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic.

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BRUSSELS, 22 April 2009

EU Troika fully supports Rehn's latest proposal

The European Union Troika fully supports the latest proposal by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn for the settlement of a Croatian-Slovene border dispute and asks for a constructive approach from both parties so that an agreement is reached as soon as possible, a source from the Czech EU Presidency said in Brussels on Wednesday after the Troika's meeting with Rehn and Foreign Ministers Gordan Jandrokovic of Croatia and Samuel Zbogar of Slovenia. The source said that the two sides were "very close to an agreement", announcing that talks on Rehn's proposal would continue and that a new meeting would be held soon.

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BRUSSELS, 22 April 2009

Jandrokovic: Latest proposal contains to a large extent Croatia's views

The Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Gordan Jandrokovic, said on Wednesday that the latest proposal from European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn provided a good basis for a solution to the Croatian-Slovene border dispute. "Rehn's proposal, which is supported by the Presidential Troika, is a good basis for seeking an acceptable solution and contains, to a large extent, well-known Croatian views, namely separation of Croatia's negotiating process from bilateral issues, unblocking of Croatia's accession negotiations and settlement of the border dispute in accordance with international law, before an international judicial body," Jandrokovic told reporters after a series of meetings held in Brussels on Wednesday.

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BRUXELLES, 20 April 2009

Jandrokovic present Rehn with Croatia's response to his initiative

Croatian Foreign affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic met European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn in Brussels on Monday and presented him with Croatia's response to his proposal concerning the settlement of the Croatian-Slovene border dispute and the continuation of Croatia's EU entry talks. "In accordance with the announcement, today I handed in Croatia's proposal concerning the settlement of this issue, (namely our position on) how to resume the negotiations and settlement the border dispute. Our proposal is founded on three principles. The first principle is separating the border issue from the negotiating process, second is the continuation of our entry talks, namely urgent unblocking of the negotiations, and the third is the settlement of the border dispute before the international judicial body on the basis of international law," Jandrokovic said after the meeting with Rehn which laster more than an hour.

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BRUSSELS, 20 April 2009

Rehn expects reduction of area of disagreement between Croatia, Slovenia

European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Brussels on Monday he expected the area of disagreement between Croatia and Slovenia, regarding the European Commission's proposal for the settlement of their border dispute, to be reduced during talks in Brussels this week. I hope we will come closer to reducing the area of disagreement during talks on Wednesday, Rehn told a press conference after meeting Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic.Before the meeting, Rehn received Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic, who handed him Croatia's response to his proposal regarding a settlement of the Croatian-Slovene border dispute and the resumption of Croatia's European Union accession negotiations.

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ZAGREB, 16 April 2009

Jandrokovic says Croatia insists on its demands regarding Slovene blockade

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said after meeting his Austrian counterpart Michael Spindelegger in Zagreb on Thursday that Croatia insisted on its position regarding the lifting of Slovenia's blockade of its EU entry talks, but would not comment on the latest proposal from European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn for arbitration in a Croatian-Slovene border dispute. Spindelegger, who today paid his first official visit to Croatia as Austria's Foreign Minister, expressed his full support for Croatia on its road to the European Union.Spindelegger and Jandrokovic discussed the main obstacle to Croatia's progress on the road to the EU, namely Slovenia's blockade of its entry talks over their border dispute.

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ZAGREB, 16 April 2009

Sanader, Pahor to meet before end of month, say unofficial sources

Croatian and Slovene Prime Ministers Ivo Sanader and Borut Pahor will meet near Zagreb by the end of the month to discuss the settlement of the border dispute and the lifting of Slovenia's blockade of Croatia's European Union accession negotiations, sources close to the Croatian government said on Thursday. Croatian and Slovene Foreign Ministers Gordan Jandrokovic and Samuel Zbogar are due to hold talks with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn next week, while a Croatia-EU accession conference has been scheduled for next Friday.

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ZAGREB, 15 April 2009

Jandrokovic, Rehn and Zbogar to meet next week

Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic is expected to meet his Slovene counterpart Samuel Zbogar and European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn next week for a new round of talks on the settlement of a Croatian-Slovene border dispute and the unblocking of Croatia's EU entry talks, Croatian and Slovene official sources reported on Wednesday. Jandrokovic told reporters in Zagreb a new trilateral meeting would be held next week, reiterating that Croatia advocated the settlement of the border dispute before an international judicial body.

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BERLIN, 8 April 2009

Merkel: Croatia and Slovenia must resolve their dispute on their own

Germany wants to see Croatia as a member of the European Union as soon as possible and is willing to help in removing obstacles along the way, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after meeting Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader in Berlin on Wednesday. Germany is willing to help, but Croatia and Slovenia will have to resolve their border dispute on their own, and one of the opportunities to do that will be the next talks between the prime ministers of the two countries, Merkel told a press conference after the meeting in her office.Our wish is that negotiations between Croatia and the European Union should be completed as soon as possible, but the condition for that is the consent of all EU members. Slovenia is an EU member, so Slovenia's consent is the only way to complete the negotiations, the Chancellor said.

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WASHINGTON, 8 April 2009

Ahtisaari says not inclined towards accepting Slovenia-Croatia mediation

Former Finnish President and Nobel winner for peace Martti Ahtisaari said at the National Press Club in Washington on Tuesday that he would very probably not accept mediation in the Croatian-Slovene border dispute, as it was about legal matters and he was not a jurist. Responding to questions from the press after a talk at the NPC, Ahtisaari said he had worked enough with Balkan countries since the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, from Kosovo to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and that now his name was being linked to efforts to find a solution to the Croatian-Slovene border dispute preventing the continuation of Croatia's European Union accession negotiations.Ahtisaari said the entire matter was in the hands of an EU enlargement commission led by his friend Olli Rehn, the EU enlargement commissioner.

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BRUSSELS, 7 April 2009

Croatian flag hoisted in front of NATO headquarters

The Croatian flag was hoisted at a ceremony in front of NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday. The Croatian national anthem was played at the ceremony that was attended by Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, and the ambassadors of NATO member-countries.The ceremony, at which the Albanian flag was hoisted as well, formally marked the admission of the two countries to NATO. Croatia and Albania joined the alliance on April 1.The Croatian flag is one of the 28 member-countries' flags displayed in front of the NATO headquarters.The flags are lined up according to the English alphabet, with the Croatian flag being the fifth, after Canada and before the Czech Republic.

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ZAGREB, 7 April 2009

NATO flag hoisted outside Croatian Defence Ministry building in Zagreb

Croatia formally marked its accession to NATO by hoisting the alliance's flag and playing its anthem at a ceremony outside the Defence Ministry building in Zagreb on Tuesday. Croatia and Albania joined NATO on April 1 and attended as full members the alliance summit in Kehl, Germany, and Strasbourg, France, on April 3-4.The ceremony outside the Defence Ministry building was attended by President Stjepan Mesic, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, Parliament President Luka Bebic, Defence Minister Branko Vukelic and the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, General Josip Lucic.Also attending were government ministers, members of Parliament, ambassadors accredited to Croatia, and military personnel.

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BRUSSELS, 2 April 2009

EU Troika supports efforts aimed at unblocking Croatia's entry talks

The European Union Troika - France, the Czech Republic and Sweden - have unanimously supported the current efforts aimed at unblocking Croatia's EU entry talks. On Wednesday evening, the Troika met with European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.Commissioner Rehn, Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and French Ambassador to the EU Pierre Selal unanimously supported the efforts aimed at re-starting negotiations with Croatia, the Czech EU Presidency said in a statement. However, deep concern was expressed over the present situation and the officials said they expected progress in light of the coming Inter-governmental Accession Conference, scheduled for 24 April, the statement said.

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ZAGREB, 1 April 2009

Sanader says new trilateral meeting possible after Easter

The new meeting of the Croatian and Slovene foreign ministers, Gordan Jandrokovic and Samuel Zbogar with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn could be held after Easter, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said on Wednesday, after it was announced that the trilateral meeting, scheduled for today, was postponed. I don't know why the meeting, at which minister Jandrokovic was to have stated our position concerning Rehn's latest initiative, has been postponed, Sanader told the press in Zagreb.He said that today Olli Rehn was to meet the EU Troika. The Troika consists of France, the Czech Republic and Sweden - the former, present and future EU chairs.

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ZAGREB, 31 March 2009

Sanader calls on Slovenia to unblock Croatia's EU entry negotiations

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Tuesday called on Slovenia to unblock Croatia's European Union accession negotiations, warning that the present standstill, caused by the Slovene blockade over a border dispute with Croatia, could discourage the Croatian neighbours -- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro. "Croatia will not agree to enter the EU under conditions other than those that applied to Slovenia, because Croatia did not obstruct Slovenia's EU entry despite the fact that the border dispute between the two countries was not resolved at the time," Sanader said in a talk, entitled "Euro-Atlantic integration and the security of Southeast Europe", at the University of Mostar.

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ZAGREB, 31 March 2009

Posselt: Croatia should not be hostage to Lisbon Treaty

A German Christian Social Union (CSU) member of the European Parliament, Bernd Posselt, has severely criticised the position of some members of the German government that Croatia's admission to the European Union should be postponed if the Treaty of Lisbon fails. "A country mature for accession, such as Croatia, should not become a hostage to the Treaty of Lisbon and its accession should not be tied to the entry into force of that treaty. We need both: Croatia and the reform treaty," Posselt said in a statement on Tuesday.His statement came as a response to statements made by officials of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), a coalition partner in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, that Croatia's EU entry should be put on hold if the Lisbon Treaty collapsed.

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ZAGREB, 26 March 2009

Foreign minister says Croatia's position unchanged

Croatia's position remains unchanged and Zagreb insists on a separation of accession negotiations with the EU and the bilateral border dispute with Slovenia, on an immediate lifting of Slovenia's blockade of the negotiations, and on resolving the dispute before an international court, Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said on Thursday. Yesterday he held talks in Brussels with European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and Slovene Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar.A statement was released after the talks saying that Rehn presented Croatia and Slovenia a new compromise proposal for resolving the border dispute and resuming Croatia's accession negotiations.

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BRUSSELS, 26 March 2009

Rehn presents new compromise solution to Croatian-Slovene border dispute

European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn presented to Croatia and Slovenia a new compromise solution to the two countries' border dispute which would unblock Croatia's EU entry talks and to which both sides are expected to respond soon, Rehn's Office said in a statement after a trilateral meeting with the Croatia and Slovene foreign minister, Gordan Jandrokovic and Samuel Zbogar respectively. The European Commission has proposed a new compromise solution. A preliminary discussion on the draft has already been held. Both sides are analysing the draft and will soon state their opinion, read the statement signed by Rehn's spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy.

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BRUSSELS, 25 March 2009

Rehn says Croatia can still complete EU entry talks this year

Croatia can still achieve the goal of completing its EU membership talks by the end of the year if it continues implementing reforms decisively, despite the current stalemate caused by its border dispute with Slovenia which is being worked on and where progress can be expected soon, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Brussels ahead of a meeting with the Croatian and Slovene foreign ministers scheduled for Wednesday evening.

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ZAGREB, 24 March 2009

Sanader says delay of accession conference logical

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said on Tuesday the decision of the Czech European Union presidency to postpone an intergovernmental conference on Croatia's accession was logical and that he did not expect it to have any consequence on the course of the accession negotiations. The Czech EU presidency postponed the conference, originally scheduled for March 27, until April 24, hopeful that until then progress will be made in efforts to solve the issue of Slovenia's blockade of Croatia's EU membership talks due to a border dispute."That was expected, given that since the last conference Slovenia did not lift the blockade due to bilateral reasons," Sanader said during a visit to the town of Nova Gradiska.

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ZAGREB, 23 March 2009

French official calls on Croatia to find compromise solution to border dispute

Croatia must find, as soon as possible, a compromise solution to its dispute with Slovenia and become the 28th member of the European Union, and France is ready to help it any way it can, the Secretary of State in charge of European affairs at the French Foreign Ministry, Bruno Le Maire, said after meeting Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic in Zagreb on Monday.

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BRUSSELS, 22 March 2009

Croatia among top three non-EU travel destinations for EU residents

Croatia is among top three tourist destination outside the European Union for EU residents this year, according to a special report of Eurobarometer The Eurobarometer programme is a series of surveys regularly performed on behalf of the European Commission since 1973. It produces reports of public opinion of certain issues relating to the European Union across the member states.

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BRUSSELS, 19 March 2009

Sanader applauds idea of Croatian-Slovene joint statement

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Thursday welcomed the idea of Croatia and Slovenia signing a joint statement to the effect that they did not prejudge the settlement of their border issue as a big step forward which eliminated the reason for the Slovene blockade of Croatia's EU accession negotiations. "First of all, I think it's a step forward in our talks with the European Commission. I welcome that idea, I think it's good. The reason for the Slovene blockade in December was Slovenia's position that in some negotiation documents, Croatia is prejudging the border and now, if the two countries sign a statement that no document since we declared our independence prejudged the border, I think it's a big step forward and that it removes the reason for the blockade," Sanader said upon arriving in Brussels to attend a summit of the European People's Party.

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BRUSSELS, 17 March 2009

Rehn says Croatian-Slovene statement would be step in right direction

Signing a joint statement that no document or act after Croatia and Slovenia gained independence would prejudge their border dispute would be a confidence building measure and a step in the right direction, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Brussels on Tuesday. He was speaking after a meeting with the Croatian and Slovene foreign ministers, Gordan Jandrokovic and Samuel Zbogar respectively, on the possibility of the two countries signing a joint statement confirming that no document or action after 25 June 1991 prejudged the settlement of their border dispute in any way.

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ZAGREB, 13 March 2009

Rehn: Slovenia should lift blockade as soon as mediating team begins work

The border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia should be settled bilaterally in accordance with international law, but the International Court of Justice is not the only option, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in an interview with the Austrian newspaper Die Presse on Friday. Rehn said he expected Slovenia to unblock Croatia's EU accession negotiations as soon as the EU team of mediators led by the former Finnish president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Martti Ahtisaari, began work."In the end, it's always a bilateral agreement that must be in keeping with international law. However, the International Court of Justice is not the only option," Rehn said in the interview, titled: "Croatia Must Not Be a Scapegoat".

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STRASBOURG, 12 March 2009

European Parliament adopts resolution on Croatia

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Croatia on Thursday saying that the EU mediation in resolving the Croatian-Slovene border dispute must be based on international law. The resolution was carried with 548 votes in favour and 40 against.The European Parliament "recalls the informal agreement reached on 26 August 2007 by the prime ministers of Croatia and Slovenia on the submission of their border dispute to an international body, welcomes the readiness of Croatia and Slovenia to accept the mediation offer made by the Commission and takes the view that this mediation should be based on international law; in this context looks forward to a rapid advancement of the accession negotiations," says one of the adopted amendments to the resolution.

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BRUSSELS, 10 March 2009

Swoboda and Posselt support Croatia's position on European Commission mediation initiative

The European Parliament's Rapporteur on Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, and a European People's Party (EPP) member of the European Parliament, Bernd Posselt, on Tuesday expressed their support for the Croatian position that mediation by the European Commission in the Croatian-Slovene border dispute should lead to the unblocking of Croatia's EU accession negotiations and settlement of the dispute before an international court. The most important thing at the moment is to ensure the unblocking of negotiations so that all chapters for which Croatia is ready could be opened. Simultaneously, the mediation process should lead towards an international court. It is necessary that these things go in parallel, rather than one after the other, Swoboda told Croatian Television (HTV).

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ZAGREB, 10 March 2009

Sanader satisfied about consensus on border issue with Slovenia

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said on Tuesday he was happy with the consensus of the state leadership and parliamentary parties on European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn's proposal for resolving Croatian-Slovene border issues via mediation, stressing once again that Croatia would not pay for friendship with other countries with its territory. Speaking at a government session, Sanader said he expected Slovenia to lift its blockade of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union and that the mandate of a mediation group, to be headed by Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari, was yet to be discussed.Sanader said Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic would discuss that tonight with Rehn and Slovene Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar, after which Croatia expected the European Commission's first reactions to Croatia's position on mediation.

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BRUSSELS, 10 March 2009

Talks on terms of EU mediation end inconclusively

Three-hour talks on the European Commission's proposal to mediate in a border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia ended inconclusively on Tuesday evening. The meeting involved European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and the foreign ministers of Croatia and Slovenia, Gordan Jandrokovic and Samuel Zbogar.During the talks they considered possibilities of agreeing on the specific terms of European mediation and agreed to continue talks in the near future, the European Commission said in a brief statement after the meeting.The Commission said its aim was to facilitate the settlement of the border dispute and in parallel with that unblock Croatia's accession negotiations so that Croatia could achieve its goal of technically completing the negotiations by the end of this year.

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BRUSSELS, 9 March 2009

European Commission welcomes Croatia's acceptance of mediation initiative

The European Commission on Monday welcomed Croatia's decision to accept its initiative to involve a group of experts led by Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari in resolving a border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia, stressing that mediation would be based on international law and court practice.I welcome the decision by the Croatian government and parliament as a further step towards European involvement that should help in resolving the border dispute and enable resumption of Croatia's accession negotiations. We are studying the details of both Croatian and Slovene positions, and any kind of European assistance will be based on international law and legal practice, Rehn told reporters in Brussels.

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ROME, 6 March 2009

Sanader tells RAI bilateral issues should not be on EU agenda

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said in an interview for RAI television on Thursday evening that principles of solidarity and international law were the pillars of Europe and that the European Union enlargement processes had so far shown that bilateral issues must not be on the European agenda.

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ZAGREB, 5 March 2009

Sanader: border row becomes strong political tool for halting Croatia's EU bid

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has said that his country's border dispute with Slovenia is "a relatively small issue" which has grown into a big problem and a political tool for slowing down Croatia's EU accession negotiations."This is a relatively small issue but it is becoming big because it's becoming a political tool in our negotiations with the European Union which should not be the case," Sanader said in an interview with the Euronews television corporation.He added that Slovenia's veto on Croatia's accession talks due to the bilateral border issue "is not European, is not fair, and is not correct."

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BRUSSELS, 5 March 2009

Jandrokovic to meet Zbogar and Rehn next week

Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Union Minister Gordan Jandrokovic has said that he will next week meet his Slovene counterpart Samuel Zbogar and European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn for talks on the Croatian-Slovene border dispute and the resumption of Croatia's EU membership talks.Jandrokovic said this on Thursday in Brussels after he met Zbogar on the margins of a NATO ministerial meeting.

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SPLIT, 4 March 2009

Mesic reiterates Croatia wants to solve border row with Slovenia in line with international law

Commenting on European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn's latest call on Croatia and Slovenia to respond unequivocally to the European Commission's initiative for engaging a senior expert group in efforts to settle the two countries' border dispute, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said on Wednesday that he did not consider Rehn's move to be blackmail, but added that an international court should decide on the facts. "I would not interpret it as blackmail. Olli Rehn has presented his proposal and his position," Mesic said in Split when asked by the press whether he saw Rehn's proposal as blackmail.

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BRUSSELS, 3 March 2009

Rehn calls on Croatia, Slovenia to give clear responses to EC initiative

The issue of the Slovene blockade of Croatia's EU entry talks and the settlement of the Croatia-Slovenia border dispute by mediation or before the International Court of Justice were the topics that dominated a conference called "Croatia, next member state and challenges ahead" which the Croatia EU Business Council (CEUBC) organised in Brussels on Tuesday. The conference drew the key people in the EU in charge of enlargement, as well as representatives of the Croatian government and business communities.

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PARIS, 27 February 2009

Bebic addresses EU conference of parliament presidents

The Treaty of Lisbon is the result of the visionary idea of the need "to deepen" the European Union, but the institutional reform should be a clear signal that after "deepening" the EU will be ready to continue its most successful policy -- the policy of enlargement, Croatian Parliament President Luka Bebic said in Paris on Friday. Bebic was addressing a conference of the parliament presidents of EU member states and candidate countries on the future of EU institutions and the implementation of the conclusions of the Lisbon Treaty in national parliaments.

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BRUSSELS, 24 February 2009

EC welcomes Sanader-Pahor talks

The European Commission welcomes Tuesday's meeting of Prime Ministers Ivo Sanader of Croatia and Borut Pahor of Slovenia as a positive step, but it cannot comment on its result because it has no information on its particulars, said Krisztina Nagy, spokesperson for EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. A source from the European Commission confirmed that the EC wanted the two countries to reach an agreement on their border dispute so that Croatia's EU accession talks could continue, but that it did not want to interfere in the dispute because it considered it a bilateral issue that should be left out of the accession talks.

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ZAGREB, 23 February 2009

PM Sanader meets European Parliament delegation

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader met in Zagreb on Monday with a group of European Parliament members who positively assessed and supported the efforts Croatia was making on its road to the European Union despite the outstanding border dispute with Slovenia, which they said was a bilateral, and not an EU issue. The outstanding dispute is not an EU issue, it is a bilateral issue, and that is why we are disappointed that it has poisoned the otherwise excellent relations and Croatia's excellent progress, said a co-chairman of the Croatia-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, Pal Schmitt.

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PARIS, 23 February 2009

France says bilateral dispute cannot be reason for blocking Croatia's EU admission

Croatia and France are in agreement that bilateral disputes cannot be the reason to block a country's EU accession talks, reporters heard after a meeting of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader in Paris on Monday. "We talked about the blockade of Croatia's EU entry talks, which is perhaps the most important issue at this moment. I stated my position and President Sarkozy is interested in seeing this problem settled. I am satisfied with the talks and the support France is giving Croatia concerning its EU and NATO entry. We agreed that Croatia is on the right track to becoming a full member of NATO at the summit in Strasbourg and Kehl," Sanader said after talking to Sarkozy, declining to give details about the French position.

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ZAGREB, 23 February 2009

Croatia-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee begins two-day meeting in Zagreb

Croatia must continue working on its negotiating chapters, especially because the planned technical completion of its EU membership talks can be achieved in 2009, while bilateral disputes between Slovenia and Croatia should be left out of that process, European Parliament member Pal Schmitt said in Zagreb on Monday. Schmitt was speaking at the ninth, two-day meeting of the Croatia-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, which started at the Croatian parliament today. Schmitt is a co-chair of the meeting.Bilateral problems do not belong in the EU acquis communautaire, said Czech Ambassador Karel Kuehnl, whose country is the current chair of the European Union.

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ZAGREB, 22 February 2009

Sanader: Croatia wants to join EU in early 2011

The French newspaper Le Monde ran an interview with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Saturday ahead of his meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy, scheduled to take place in Paris on Monday. Responding to a question on the Slovene blockade of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union, Sanader said that the territorial dispute between Croatia and Slovenia was the consequence of the break-up of Yugoslavia."It's a problem concerning border demarcation, at sea and partly on land, which has not been solved for eighteen years. Slovenia entered NATO and the EU in 2004 when the problem had not been solved. Our position is that Croatia should be allowed to do the same. For that reason it's completely unacceptable that Slovenia should officially block 11 of the 35 chapters in the negotiating process," Sanader said.He said that Croatia wanted to separate the border issue from the negotiating process and refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

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PARIS, 19 February 2009

France supports Croatia's EU membership bid

France fully supports Croatia in its efforts to become the 28th member of the European Union, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said in Paris on Thursday after talks with his French counterpart, Francois Fillon. "Prime Minister Fillon gives full support to Croatia and says that it must become the 28th member of the EU. He said French President Nicolas Sarkozy would tell me the same on Monday," Sanader said.Sanader was scheduled to meet Sarkozy on Thursday afternoon but their meeting was moved to Monday because of the French President's busy schedule.

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BRUSSELS, 18 February 2009

Joint Croatia-EU parl. committee to convene in Zagreb next week

The European Union-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee will hold its ninth session next in Zagreb on Monday and Tuesday, the Croatian Parliament announced on Wednesday.

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BRUSSELS, 17 February 2009

EC official says Croatia's membership talks progressing, some work may be left for 2010

Croatia has made major progress in its EU membership talks and this year it could enter the final stage, but that does not mean that nothing will remain to be done in 2010, a European Commission official said in Brussels on Tuesday. If Croatia does everything it is expected to do, there is a possibility that the talks will reach their final stage in 2009. This does not mean that we promise that everything will be completed in 2009, it is very likely that some work will remain to be done in early 2010, said Henrik Bendixen, an official at the Enlargement Directorate-General in charge of Croatia.The EC official made the statement while explaining the meaning of the EC's indicative and conditional road map for the completion of Croatia's accession talks by the end of the year.

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BRUSSELS, 12 February 2009

Minister says Croatia close to opening negotiations on judiciary chapter

Croatia is close to opening negotiations with the European Union on the "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights" policy chapter, and the European Commission is happy with the reforms launched in Croatia, Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic said in Brussels on Thursday. Potential problems are related to the Hague war crimes tribunal. As regards the situation in the judiciary, the EC is happy with the reforms undertaken and will closely follow if they are being implemented, Simonovic said after talks with the European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Jacques Barrot.

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BRUSSELS, 11 February 2009

Minister optimistic about Brammertz's report on Croatia

Croatian Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic held separate meetings with members of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee, the parliamentary rapporteur for Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, and the committee's vice-chairman Michael Gahler, in Brussels on Wednesday. During his meetings in the EP, Simonovic said that the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Serge Brammertz, would inform ambassadors of European Union member states in Brussels next week about Croatia's cooperation with the Hague-based UN tribunal and that he hoped that Brammertz's report would be more favourable than Croatia expected.

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BRUSSELS, 5 February 2009

Rehn says Croatia can wrap up accession talks this year on several conditions

Croatia will be able to complete accession negotiations with the European Union by the end of this year if it steps up the fight against organised crime and corruption, completes the restructuring of its shipyards, and if a mechanism is established for solving the border dispute with Slovenia, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in an interview with Thursday's Financial Times. "If we can find a way forward on the border issue, and if Croatia works very intensively on these two areas of reform, then it's within reach," Rehn said, referring to the informal target of wrapping up the accession negotiations by the end of the year.

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STRASBOURG, 4 February 2009

Barroso: EC wants Slovenia and Croatia to solve their dispute through negotiation

The European Commission wants Croatia and Slovenia to find a negotiated solution to their border dispute so that Croatia could join the European Union, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in Brussels on Tuesday evening. There is a Croatian-Slovene bilateral issue and we would like the two countries to solve it. We are working a lot with Croatia so it can become an EU member. Negotiations are making progress, but we want the two countries to solve their difficult bilateral issue through negotiation, Barroso told reporters after meeting Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.Barroso and Sanader held talks after attending a meeting of the European People's Party (EPP), the largest political group in the European Parliament.

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STRASBOURG, 3 February 2009

Sanader meets with leaders of political groups in European Parliament

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader met in Strasbourg on Tuesday with leaders of the most important political groups in the European Parliament, who said they supported a legal solution to the Slovene-Croatian border dispute. I fully support Prime Minister Sanader's view that the legal aspect must be at the core of any mediation or compromise, the European Parliament's Rapporteur on Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, told reporters after meeting the Croatian PM.Swoboda stressed that any mandate of a group of experts led by Martti Ahtissari must include the legal aspect, and that it was impossible to draw the borderline without taking the legal aspect into consideration.No decision can be made without the legal aspect, but the political aspect also plays a part and it would be very useful to combine both of them, Swoboda said.

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ZAGREB, 30 January 2009

Swoboda says Croatian-Slovene dispute legal issue

The Slovene-Croatian border dispute is a legal issue which is regulated by international laws, European Parliament rapporteur on Croatia Hannes Swoboda said in Zagreb on Friday after talks with Prime Minister Ivo Sanader. Swoboda told the press afterwards the next two weeks would be critical and was cautiously hopeful that guidelines towards a solution would be found.All parties will continue the talks, he said, adding that he would personally contribute to drawing up Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn's proposal, in order to make it acceptable to both Croatia and Slovenia.Independently of how much international mediation and an international court may help, the two countries must agree on procedure and guidelines, said Swoboda.

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ZAGREB, 28 January 2009

Foreign ministry official meets EP representative

The Croatian State Secretary for European Integration, Davor Bozinovic, on Wednesday met the head of the European Parliament Directorate-General Translation and Publishing, Juana Lahousse-Juarez, the Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry said in a statement. Lahousse-Juarez said that judging by all indicators, Croatia was expected to become a member of the European Union soon and that the European Parliament Directorate-General Translation and Publishing was starting to set up a Croatian translation department.

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ZAGREB, 28 January 2009

Croatia successfully participating in Europe for Citizens programme

Croatia has been participating successfully in a new European programme, Europe for Citizens, which is designed to include citizens in the processes of European integration and promotion of the European identity, it was said at the programme's information day in Zagreb on Wednesday. In the first year of its participation in the Europe for Citizens programme, Croatia has drawn more than EUR 300,000 from the programme, which is four times more than it invested, said Igor Vidacak, head of the government's Office for Non-governmental Organisations, which conducts the project in Croatia.The programme has included a number of workshops, held throughout the country, the publication of various information materials and a programme guide, and the launching of an Internet platform for finding project partners in the European Union, Vidacak said.

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ZAGREB, 23 January 2009

Government welcomes European Commission initiative

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader applauds all efforts aimed at lifting Slovenia's blockade and resuming Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union, including the latest European Commission proposal presented by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, the Croatian government said in a statement on Friday. The statement did not mention the content of the proposal, but said that it had been agreed at meetings with Rehn that details of this initiative would not be revealed for the duration of the consultations.Croatia honours that agreement, said the statement.

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BRUSSELS, 23 January 2009

Rehn talks to Ahtisaari on possible role as mediator in Croatia-Slovenia border dispute

The European Commission confirmed on Friday that that European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn had talked to former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari about the possibility of him chairing a group of experts in charge of finding a solution to the Croatian-Slovene border dispute. "Commissioner Rehn talked to President Martti Ahtisaari so as to see if he is ready to chair a group of experts who would try to find a solution to the border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia," Rehn's spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy said.

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BRUSSELS, 21 January 2009

European Parliament committee adopts draft resolution on Croatia's progress

The European Parliament Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday adopted a draft resolution on the progress of Croatia towards EU membership, expressing deep regret over the blockade of accession negotiations as a result of bilateral issues with Slovenia. The draft resolution was carried with 55 votes in favour, two against and one abstention.The European Parliament "deeply regrets that accession negotiations have been effectively blocked for a considerable time because of bilateral issues," said the proposed resolution, which will be put to a vote at a plenary session of the European Parliament.Hungarian Liberal MEP Istvan Szent-Ivany said during a debate on Tuesday that he was pleased with the wording of the proposed resolution, but warned that unless the bilateral problem between Croatia and Slovenia was resolved before the plenary session of Parliament in March, he would recommend stronger condemnation of Slovenia.

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BRUSSELS, 21 January 2009

Poettering pushes for fast solution to blockade of Croatia's EU talks

Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor held talks in Brussels on Wednesday with European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering, who pushed for a prompt solution to the Slovene blockade of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union. Poettering expects a solution to the blockade as soon as possible and activities to resume so that Croatia can wrap up the negotiations by the end of the year, as envisaged, Kosor said.She stressed that Poettering was interested in the possibility of a meeting between the Croatian and Slovene prime ministers.

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ZAGREB, 16 January 2009

Croatia's chief coordinator for EU entry talks meets EU coordinators

The state secretary for political affairs at the Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry, Bianca Matkovic, said in Zagreb on Friday at a meeting with EU coordinators from ministries and other state administration bodies that the year 2009 was the final year of Croatia's EU entry talks in which much was to be done yet, but that Zagreb had already done a lot. "The year 2009 is the final year of negotiations (with the EU). A lot of work is ahead of us but a lot has already been done," said the chief coordinator who monitors activities concerning Croatia's EU entry talks.

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ZAGREB, 15 January 2009

Sanader: By winning international recognition, Croatia achieved its historic goal

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Thursday received representatives of war veterans' organisations to commemorate the 17th anniversary of international recognition of Croatia as an independent state. Sanader said that although many generations had made their contribution to the achievement of that historic goal, the contribution made by the war veterans was the greatest.On 15 January 1992, 12 European Union countries recognised Croatia as an independent state. The Vatican had done so a few days earlier, and soon after the recognition by the European Union countries Croatia became a member of the United Nations.

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ZAGREB, 13 January 2009

Czech ambassador says only Croatia, Slovenia can settle blockade

The Czech presidency of the European Union believes Croatia can complete accession negotiations by the end of this year when it comes to adjustment of national legislation to the European acquis communautaire, but that when it comes to the Slovene blockade, the issue can be resolved only by these two countries, Czech Ambassador to Croatia Karel Kuehnl said in Zagreb on Tuesday. Speaking at a joint news conference with Vincent Degert, the chief of the European Commission Delegation to Croatia, Kuehnl presented the priorities of the Czech EU presidency in the first half of this year, which include enlargement.

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ZAGREB, 13 January 2009

Degert says Croatia ready for programming of IPA funds

The head of the European Commission Delegation to Croatia, Vincent Degert, said on Tuesday that one could say with certainty that Croatia was ready to face, with its own resources, the challenges of programming funds from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) and that the country had to convince the European Union of that. Ambassador Degert made the statement at the closing conference of a project designed to strengthen institutional capacities and project preparation services, which had been implemented for more than a year at the Central State office for Development Strategy and Coordination of EU Funds as part of the PHARE 2005 programme.

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ZAGREB, 11 January 2009

Italy wants prompt settlement of Slovene-Croatian border dispute

Italy wants a prompt settlement of the Slovene-Croatian border dispute which has caused a blockade of Croatia's European Union accession negotiations, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in Zagreb on Monday, hopeful this would occur during the Czech EU presidency in the first half of this year. Speaking to the press after talks with his Croatian counterpart Gordan Jandrokovic, the Italian minister told the press that he and Jandrokovic talked about the common goal, the completion of accession negotiations in 2009, so that Croatia could join the EU in 2010.

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ZAGREB, 9 January 2009

European Parliament vice-president says nothing should stop Croatia from joining EU

Croatia will continue adopting the European Union's legislation and nothing should stop it from achieving its ambition to become an EU member, the Vice-President of the European Parliament and leader of the European People's Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament, Joseph Daul, said during a visit to Zagreb on Friday. I am sure you will continue with the further adoption of the EU acquis communautaire and that you will continue to function as you are functioning now, which means as a real European country, Daul said at a joint press conference after talks with Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.

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ZAGREB, 9 January 2009

Sanader hopes Slovenia's veto on Croatian EU entry talks will be soon lifted

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said on Friday that the Slovene blockade of Croatia's European Union accession talks was a precedent and that he hoped the blockade would be lifted in the coming weeks or months, underlining that Croatia would not give up from its documents. "Of course, the Slovene blockade has made us slow down. It is not good, it is a precedent in negotiations between the European Union and an aspirant for membership," Sanader said at the Zagreb-based Faculty of Political Sciences where he was attending a lecture by French politician Joseph Daul, the chair of the European People's Party-European Democrats (EPP-ED) group in the European Parliament.

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PRAGUE, 8 January 2009

Czech Republic will do everything for Croatia to join EU

The Czech Republic will do everything for Croatia to join the European Union because the continuation of enlargement is in Europe's interest, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said in Prague on Thursday. We will try to do all that we can for Croatia to become an EU member, Schwarzenberg said.Asked by Hina what does the Czech Presidency planned to do to remove the Slovene blockade of Croatia's EU entry talks, Schwarzenberg said that Prague planned to talk to both sides in an attempt to find a solution.

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BRUSSELS, 6 January 2009

Czech EU presidency wants maximum progress in negotiations with Croatia

During its presidency of the European Union in this year's first six months, the Czech Republic will attempt to achieve considerable progress in the accession negotiations with Croatia and to remove the stalemate caused by Croatia's bilateral issue with Slovenia, the highest Czech government officials said in Prague on Tuesday. It is in our interest to open new policy chapters in the negotiations with Croatia and to resolve the situation with Slovenia, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said presenting the priorities of his country's EU presidency.

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BRUSSELS, 1 January 2009

Czech Republic assumes rotating EU presidency

The Czech Republic took over the six-month rotating presidency over the European Union on Thursday, after the 27-strong bloc was chaired by France in the second half of 2008. Under the slogan "A Europe without Barriers" Czech Republic has chosen 3 Es - economy, energy and external relations - as priorities of its chairmanship.Alexandr Vondra, the Czech Deputy Prime Minister who is in charge of European affairs, has recently said that his country would spare no efforts to lift Slovenia's veto on the continuation of Croatia's EU accession negotiations.

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BRUSSELS, 1 January 2009

Czech Republic assumes rotating EU presidency

The Czech Republic took over the six-month rotating presidency over the European Union on Thursday, after the 27-strong bloc was chaired by France in the second half of 2008. Under the slogan "A Europe without Barriers" Czech Republic has chosen 3 Es - economy, energy and external relations - as priorities of its chairmanship.Alexandr Vondra, the Czech Deputy Prime Minister who is in charge of European affairs, has recently said that his country would spare no efforts to lift Slovenia's veto on the continuation of Croatia's EU accession negotiations.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 29 December 2008

Croatian government defines national EU accession programme for 2009

The Croatian government on Monday defined a national EU accession programme for 2009, which provides for the adjustment of 57 laws, 255 regulations and 165 implementing measures to EU standards. Most of the legislative reforms will be implemented in the first half of 2009.Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said at the government session that the ministries of justice, economy, finance and health would be the busiest next year.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 28 December 2008

Overview of Croatia's EU accession negotiations this year

The Slovene blockade, because of which Croatia opened six instead of 15 policy chapters in its EU accession negotiations, the European Commission's indicative road map for the completion of the negotiations by the end of 2009, and the decision to suspend the application of the Ecology and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ) to EU countries, are the three key events which marked Croatia's road to the EU in 2008. The number one issue in the first three months of the year was the EFPZ, which went into force on January 1. Slovenia, the EU president at the time, and Italy insisted the most on rescinding it. They had a strong footing in the minutes of a June 2004 Croatia-Slovenia-Italy meeting at which Croatia informed its two neighbours that the EFPZ would not apply to EU countries. These minutes were entered into Council of the EU conclusions, so the only way out was to suspend the application of the EFPZ for EU countries, which happened on March 12.

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BRUSSELS, 19 December 2008

EU French presidency regrets that Croatia was unable to make greater progress in entry talks

The French Presidency of the EU said on Friday it regretted that Croatia was unable to make greater progress in its EU accession talks, which would reflect the progress the country had achieved, because of Slovenia's refusal to give its consent for the opening and closing of a large number of negotiating chapters. Despite the progress Zagreb has made, I do not hide that we have not gone as far as we wanted in the negotiations or the fact that the agenda of this accession conference does not fully reflect the progress Croatia has made in its accession preparation, the French Secretary of State in charge of European Affairs, Bruno Le Maire, said after the EU-Croatia accession conference in Brussels.

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BRUSSELS, 16 December 2008

Prague hopes Croatia will make significant progress towards EU during Czech EU presidency

The Czech Ambassador to the European Union, Milena Vicenova, said in Brussels on Tuesday that she hoped bilateral problems between Croatia and Slovenia would be settled and that Croatia would be able to make an important step forward towards EU membership during the Czech EU presidency. The ambassador was presenting the priorities of the Czech EU Presidency, to start on January 1.

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BRUSSELS, 12 December 2008

Sarkozy says guarantees to Ireland will be integrated into Croatia's accession agreement

Legally binding guarantees whose purpose is to dispel the fears of Irish citizens concerning some issues from the Treaty of Lisbon, which caused them to reject the treaty at a referendum this year, will be incorporated into Croatia's accession agreement in 2010 or 2011, the Chairman of the European Council, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said after an EU summit in Brussels on Friday.

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BRUSSELS, 11 December 2008

Croatia's GDP per capita 46% below EU27 average

In 2007, GDP per inhabitant in Luxembourg, expressed in purchasing power standards (PPS), was more than two-and-a-half times the EU27 average, according to the latest report of Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, which also included Croatia, with GDP per capita being 46 percent below the EU27 average. In 2006 Croatia's GDP per inhabitant, expressed in PPS, was 48 percent below the EU27 average, while in 2005 it was 50 percent below the EU average, according to figures released by Eurostat.

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BRUSSELS, 11 December 2008

Sanader and Rehn hope problem with Slovenia will be resolved before accession conference

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on Thursday expressed hope that the problem of the Slovene blockade of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Commission would be resolved before next week's intergovernmental accession conference. I hope the problems on the table will be resolved so that Croatia could open ten and close five chapters, Sanader told reporters after the talks with Rehn.I sincerely hope and believe that the problem will be resolved before next Friday so we could take a further step in the negotiations. It is very important for the credibility of the European Union in its enlargement policy and in relation to the Western Balkans that Croatia is given fair treatment in the accession negotiations, Rehn said.

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BRUSSELS, 8 December 2008

EU foreign ministers discussing Croatia's progress in EU entry talks

European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday for a regular meeting to discuss, among other things, Croatia's progress in its EU membership talks. The ministers are expected to discuss enlargement and adopt conclusions on the progress of Croatia and Turkey, the countries negotiating EU membership, as well as conclusions on potential candidates. The basis for the discussion is an enlargement package that was made public by the European Commission on November 5.

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BRUSSELS, 8 December 2008

Croatian representatives attending meeting of EU Regions Committee

Representatives of the Croatian association of towns and counties were attending a meeting in Brussels on Monday of the Croatia Task Force of the European Union's Committee of the Regions, which was discussing Croatia's accession process and use of funds from EU pre-accession funds. The meeting was being attended by representatives of the European Commission and the French EU Presidency.

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ZAGREB, 8 December 2008

Drobnjak satisfied with document adopted by EU foreign ministers

Croatia's chief negotiator with the European Union Vladimir Drobnjak told Croatian Television on Monday evening that he was satisfied with the conclusions adopted by the Council of Ministers of the European Union because they show that Croatia did a good job and that the country's EU talks were on the right track, adding that he did not expect Croatia to be given a concrete date for the completion of the negotiations.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 8 December 2008

Croatia likely to close negotiating chapter on statistics in spring 2009

Croatia has made good progress in adjusting its national statistical system to European standards and has a good chance of receiving a positive mark from Eurostat in March with regard to meeting European Union criteria in the field of statistics, Eurostat Director-General Walter Radermacher said in Zagreb on Monday. Addressing a conference organised by Eurostat and the Croatian Central Bureau of Statistics (DZS), Radermacher said that cooperation with the DSZ was very good, and suggested the bureau should employ more information technology specialists.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 2 December 2008

Croatian FM says settlement of open issues with Slovenia in the offing

Croatia and Slovenia are close to finding a settlement to their outstanding issues, Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said in Brussels on Tuesday after meeting the new Slovene Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar. "We are close to finding a settlement that will be acceptable to both countries, but please be patient for some more time," Jandrokovic told the press after 45-minute talks with the Slovene official.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 1 December 2008

Contracts agreed for 84.8 pct of funds under EU's PHARE 2006 programme

Of the EUR 52.82 million earmarked for funding Croatian government projects under the European Union's pre-accession programme PHARE 2006, contracts have been signed for that purpose in the total amount of EUR 44.79 million, or 84.8 per cent, a press conference at the Finance Ministry heard on Monday. The head of the European Commission's Delegation in Zagreb, Vincent Degert, said that good results had been achieved in the process of agreeing projects under the PHARE 2006 programme and that those projects were important for the accession of Croatia to the EU.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 21 November 2008

Jandrokovic supports French initiative to step up Croatia's EU entry talks

Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic on Friday supported a French initiative to step up Croatia's EU accession negotiations in connection with Ljubljana's reservations that some Croatian positions in the negotiations prejudge border issues. Jandrokovic stressed Croatia was prepared to provide written guarantees that its negotiating positions did not prejudge the Croatian-Slovene border.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 21 November 2008

Rehn says Iceland, Croatia to compete for EU entry

There are no short-cuts to EU accession, but if Iceland decided to apply for EU membership, negotiations could be wrapped up swiftly, possibly alongside those with Croatia, the current frontrunner, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told EurActiv in an exclusive interview on Friday. Rehn said that in the case of Iceland, the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement, which he says "works very well", could serve as a "short-cut" in accession negotiations."I usually say to my friends in South Eastern Europe that there is no shortcut to EU membership, and it is true. But in the case of Iceland, this EEA agreement serves as a shortcut in the negotiations," Rehn told EurActiv.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 13 November 2008

Rehn says political consensus in Croatia very important

A broad consensus of all the political parties in Croatia on the country's European goals is very important, as it lays the foundations for successful European integration processes, and is of key importance for the adoption of necessary laws and their enforcement, and the consensus will also be important when Croatia becomes the 28th member of the European Union, European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Zagreb on Thursday. He spoke about the importance of the consensus after he visited the national parliament (Sabor) and held talks with Sabor Speaker Luka Bebic and other parliamentarians.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 12 November 2008

Rehn tells Mesic Croatia can meet all EU requirements in 2009

The plan for Croatia to meet all the requirements for the completion of EU accession negotiations by the end of 2009 is feasible, and it is important that Croatian authorities concentrate all their efforts on achieving results in the fight against corruption and organised crime, in judicial reform and shipbuilding, European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said during talks with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic in Zagreb on Wednesday.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 5 November 2008

EU says Croatia could complete entry talks by end of next year

The European Commission said on Wednesday that Croatia could complete EU accession negotiations by the end of 2009 if it met the membership requirements. The Commission believes "it should be possible to reach the final stage of accession negotiations with Croatia by the end of 2009, provided that Croatia fulfils all the necessary conditions. With this in mind, the Commission proposes an indicative road map for concluding technical negotiations by the end of 2009," according to the EU's enlargement strategy that was presented in Brussels on Wednesday by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 30 October 2008

Croatia closes 1 negotiating chapter, French EU Presidency hopes others will soon be de-blocked

The French presidency of the European Union expects a settlement to the Slovene blockade of several negotiating chapters within Croatia's EU accession talks in the coming weeks, the French Ambassador to the European Union, Pierre Selal, said in Brussels on Thursday. "We believe in the possibility that in the weeks to come a consensus will be reached enabling us to make headway and enter a new stage in Croatia's accession negotiations," Selal said after the end of today's intergovernmental conference on Croatia's integration, which was held at the level of ambassadors.At the conference Croatia closed only one policy chapter (negotiating area), External Relations.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 14 October 2008

EC says Croatia-Slovenia border issue bilateral, has no place in accession talks

The European Commission has consistently maintained the view that the outstanding border issue between Slovenia and Croatia is a bilateral issue and it therefore has no place in Croatia's EU accession negotiations, the spokeswoman for the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Krisztina Nagy, told Hina on Tuesday. The next intergovernmental accession conference between Croatia and the EU will be held on October 30.The European Commission has drafted a joint negotiating position for five chapters - "Free Movement of Capital", "Taxation", "Regional Policy and the Co-ordination of Structural Instruments", "Justice, Freedom and Security", and "Environment". They could be opened at the inter-governmental conference if all EU member countries agree to it.The EC has also proposed closing two chapters for which Croatia has met closing benchmarks - "External Relations" and "Trans-European Networks".

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 7 October 2008

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 1 October 2008

Croatia joins EU's Marco Polo programme

Croatia and the European Commission have signed a memorandum of understanding on Croatia's participation in the Marco Polo programme, which is designed to promote freight transport by sea, inland waterways and rail, the European Commission said in a statement on Wednesday. The memorandum was signed by European Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani and Croatia's Ambassador to the EU, Branko Baricevic.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 24 September 2008

Members of European Parliament call for speeding up entry talks with Croatia

The European Commission said in Brussels on Wednesday that the process of negotiations with Croatia had been considerably speeded up in recent months, while members of the European Parliament said they were unhappy with the slowness of negotiations and urged the Commission to exert pressure on member states to accelerate the process. Croatia is going in the right direction, and I can say that negotiations have been considerably speeded up in recent months, Henrik Bendixen, deputy head of the Croatia Unit of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement, said at a preparatory meeting for the next session of the Joint EU-Croatia Committee of the European Parliament.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 18 September 2008

Rehn says Croatia can wrap up EU accession talks next year

Croatia's accession negotiations are going well and it could open the bulk of the remaining negotiation chapters by the end of the year and technically wrap up the negotiations by the end of 2009, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Thursday. Speaking at a conference on the EU's relations with the Western Balkans in Prague, Rehn said he expected the bulk of the remaining chapters to be opened this autumn, but added that the most difficult ones might be left for the first half of 2009, when the Czech Republic will preside over the EU.Rehn said it should be possible to close many the chapters next spring, so that technical negotiations could end late next year.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 16 September 2008

Barroso says Croatia making good progress, but judiciary, shipbuilding are key

Croatia has made significant progress in its European Union accession negotiations in recent months, but still has a lot to do by November in order to meet benchmarks in two key negotiation chapters, "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights" and "Competition Policy", European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said after talks with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader in Brussels on Tuesday. Barroso said he congratulated Sanader on the progress and highlighted the importance of restructuring the shipbuilding industry for the Competition Policy chapter.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 12 September 2008

Croatian lobbyists soon to be registered with European institutions

The Croatian Lobbyists Society (HDL) will soon register 15 to 20 members with the European Parliament (EP) and the European Commission, and they will also join the Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP), HDL president Mate Granic told the press on Friday after an HDL delegation ended a three-day visit to Brussels.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 25 July 2008

Croatia opens one policy chapter from EU acquis, closes one

Croatian officials on Friday opened talks on another policy chapter from the EU acquis communautaire and closed one chapter after more than a year and a half. At a Croatia-EU intergovernmental conference, held in Brussels today, Croatia opened talks on the chapter Free Movement of Goods, and temporarily closed the chapter Enterprise and Industrial Policy.So far, Croatia has opened 21 policy chapters and temporarily closed three in its pre-accession talks. Science and Research was the first chapter to be closed, on 12 June 2006, and the chapter Education and Culture was closed on 11 December 2006.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 9 July 2008

Protocol on Croatia's joining NATO signed i Brussels

NATO states signed accession protocols for Albania and Croatia on Wednesday, setting them on the path to entry into the Western military pact early next year. The signing was conducted at a ceremony at alliance headquarters in Brussels in the presence of the Croatian and Albanian foreign ministries.Croatia's delegation was led by Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic who expressed hope the ratification process would end in time for Croatia to be able to take part in the next NATO summit, scheduled for spring 2009 in Strasbourg and Kehl, as a full member.

NEWS

LUXEMBOURG, 17 June 2008

Croatia opens negotiations in two more policy chapters

Croatia can achieve its goal in accession negotiations with the European Union and open all the remaining negotiating chapters before the end of this year and close many of them, despite the fact that only four chapters were opened in the first half of this year and none was closed, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said in Luxembourg on Tuesday. Jandrokovic was speaking to reporters after an inter-governmental accession conference where negotiations were opened in two more chapters -- Social Policy and Employment, and Freedom of Movement for Workers, whereby the number of opened chapters rose to 20. At the previous accession conference, held under the Slovene presidency in April, negotiations had been opened also in two chapters.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 28 May 2008

Croatia and EU sign memorandum on employment policy priorities

Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec and the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Vladimir Spidla, on Wednesday signed a joint memorandum on employment priorities in Croatia. The document contains a formulated set of objectives in employment policy which the country is expected to achieve in a bid to transform its labour market and adjust it to EU standards.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 27 May 2008

Barroso says Croatia can wrap up entry talks in first half of 2009

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 26 May 2008

Croatia determined to complete EU entry talks by September 2009

Croatia is determined to meet all the necessary reforms and complete its EU entry talks by September 2009, Croatian Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic said in Brussels on Monday. Addressing participants in a joint parliamentary conference on the EU membership prospects of Southeast European countries, Bebic said the role of the Croatian parliament would be of special importance in that process.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 21 April 2008

Croatia opens negotiations on transport and energy chapters

Croatia on Monday opened negotiations on the transport and energy policies within its membership talks with the European Union. The negotiations started at the inter-governmental conference on the admission at which the Croatian delegation is led by Chief Negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak. In a brief statement after the meeting, Drobnjak expressed satisfaction with the statements by European Commission representatives who said that one of the Commission's priorities was to open all remaining chapters in negotiations with Croatia by the end of this year. "This is a good and strong statement which additionally encourages us and which can be viewed as a stronghold for optimism in the months to come," Drobnjak said.

NEWS

BERLIN, 21 April 2008

Rehn says Croatia to join EU by 2011, Turkey in 10 to 15 years

Croatia could become the 28th member of the European Union by 2011 while Turkey could join the bloc in ten to 15 years, provided that the necessary reforms were pushed through, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in an interview published Monday and carried by France Presse. Speaking to the German daily Welt, Rehn said the EU conditions for Croatia primarily referred to the judiciary reform, fight against corruption and restructure of the shipbuilding sector. Croatia has so far opened 18 chapters in its EU entry negotiations.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 10 April 2008

France pushes for stepping up Croatia's EU accession process

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Thursday received French Minister for European Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet, who said that during its European Union presidency in the second half of the year France would do everything so Croatia could open by year's end all remaining chapters in its EU accession negotiations. Jouyet said France would help Croatia during its EU presidency and that President Nicolas Sarkozy appreciated his meeting with Mesic last December, and thanked Mesic for his support to the Mediterranean Union, Mesic's office said in a statement.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 9 April 2008

COREPER verifies another benchmark for Croatia

The EU Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) decided in Brussels on Wednesday that Croatia had met the benchmark for the opening of the Justice, Freedom and Security Chapter, whose verification took nearly a year, Hina learned from EU diplomatic sources. In July 2006, the EU requested from Croatia an action plan for integrated border management as the requirement for the opening of negotiations in the policy area dealing with justice, freedom and security. Last week COREPER verified five benchmarks for the opening of negotiations in three policy chapters.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 9 April 2008

European Parliament: Croatia can join EU as soon as it meets necessary criteria

Croatia has made generally good progress in negotiations on accession to the European Union, and the resolution of the issue of its Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ) cleared the way for the completion of the accession process provided that it carries out the necessary reforms, a plenary session of the European Parliament heard on Wednesday. If Croatia implements all the reforms, it can complete the negotiations in 2009 and become a member in 2011. That's a good target and I call on you to support it, the European Parliament's Rapporteur on Croatia, Austrian Socialist Hannes Swoboda, told MEPs.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 8 April 2008

Jandrokovic: Croatia will do all that is necessary to join EU in 2010

Croatia is ready to do all that is necessary to meet the required criteria for membership of the European Union and to become its member in 2010, the Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Gordan Jandrokovic, said in Brussels on Tuesday after meeting Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. Rehn said that Croatia had good prospects for further progress, but added that there was a lot of work ahead, such as judicial and public administration reform and the fight against corruption. Rehn congratulated Croatia on receiving an invitation to join NATO at the alliance's summit last week, saying that this was important for the stability and progress of Croatia and the Western Balkans and for Europe.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 8 April 2008

Swoboda: Croatian-Slovene border disputes should be resolved by arbitration or mediation

The European Parliament will strongly support third-party mediation or arbitration in resolving Croatian-Slovene border disputes, which should not affect Croatia's EU accession negotiations, the European Parliament Rapporteur on Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, said in Brussels on Tuesday. There should be no obstacles to negotiations. I am firmly convinced that mediation or arbitration is the best way of resolving the disputes and that is also the opinion of the European Parliament, which will be taking a vote in two days with a clear message: sit down together and if you don't find a solution, seek arbitration and resolve the problem, Swoboda told reporters after meeting the Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Gordan Jandrokovic.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 20 March 2008

Croatia resolved to wrap up EU entry talks in 2009

Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Gordan Jandrokovic told Reuters news agency that Croatia was sure it would succeed in meeting conditions for its admission to the European Union. "Croatia is confident of meeting all requirements for its European Union membership bid and will conclude entry talks next year," Minister Jandrokovic said in his interview with Reuters on Thursday. Jandrokovic described this as "an historic chance for Croatia which we must not miss."

NEWS

ZAGREB, 19 March 2008

Bush to visit Zagreb on April 4-5

US President George W. Bush and his wife Laura will visit Croatia on April 4-5, and the US delegation is expected to also include Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and national security advisor Stephen Hadley, the state secretary for political issues at the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Bianca Matkovic, said on Wednesday. Bush is due to meet Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Friday, April 4, and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader the next day. It remains unknown if Bush will visit Dubrovnik, said Matkovic. The US delegation to visit Zagreb will be the same that will accompany Bush on the April 2-4 NATO summit in Bucharest.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 19 March 2008

Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria release joint statement on Kosovo

The governments of Croatia, Hungary and Bulgaria have agreed to issue a statement with regard to their forthcoming national decisions to recognise Kosovo, Croatia's government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration said in a statement on Wednesday morning. Croatia and Hungary officially recognised Kosovo on Wednesday, and Bulgaria is expected to do the same on Thursday.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 19 March 2008

Coordinator appointed for monitoring activities related to EU negotiations

The government on Wednesday named Foreign Ministry state secretary Bianca Matkovic chief coordinator for monitoring activities aimed at meeting commitments so that Croatia could wrap up European Union membership negotiations next year. Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said Matkovic would coordinate ministries' activities related to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the national EU accession programme, and benchmarks required for opening and closing negotiating chapters. Sanader said Matkovic's powers did not clash with those of Croatia's chief EU accession negotiator, Vladimir Drobnjak, but were complementary.

NEWS

SARAJEVO, 19 March 2008

Rehn says Croatia will join EU by end of decade

European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has confirmed that the European Commission is doing all that it can to wrap up negotiation with Croatia by the end of 2009 so that the country can become a full EU member as soon as possible. Given that numerous key conditions have already been met, this fall the European Commission is prepared to offer a plan aimed at finalising technical negotiations with Croatia in 2009, if possible by the end of the mandate of the incumbent European Commission, namely until October 2009, Rehn said in an interview published by Bosnian daily Dnevni Avaz on Wednesday. Rehn said it was entirely possible for Croatia to become the 28th EU member by the end of this decade.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 17 March 2008

Croatia joins EU MEDIA 2007 programme

Croatia and the European Union on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding on Croatia's admission to the MEDIA 2007 programme, which is intended for the promotion and distribution of European films outside their country of origin. The memorandum was signed by Croatia's Ambassador to the EU, Branko Baricevic, and the European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, Viviane Reding. Croatia is the first candidate country to join this programme.

NEWS

ROME, 17 March 2008

Frattini pushes for Croatia's EU accession

The former vice president of the European Commission (EC) and European Security Commissioner Franco Frattini said on Monday he hoped the EC would approve Croatia's accession to the European Union. The negotiations on Croatia's EU accession are expected to be wrapped up during the Czech Republic's EU presidency, by June 2009, and the incumbent EC, whose term of office expires that same month, is expected to approve Zagreb's accession to the 27-member bloc, Frattini said in response to a question on the state of Zagreb-Brussels negotiations and Italian-Croatian relations.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 15 March 2008

Mesic says Croatia can join EU by 2010

President Stjepan Mesic said on Saturday Croatia could do everything by 2010 that was necessary to become a member of the European Union.  Asked by the press if 2010, which Brussels has announced as the possible year of Croatia's EU accession, was a success, Mesic said "That's a success for Croatian citizens, a success for Croatia, because we can certainly do by 2010 everything that needs to be done to become an EU member". Mesic said that if Croatia wanted to achieve the strategic goal of joining the EU, it must implement all the required reforms and pass all the laws compatible with those in EU countries. "If we do that, then we'll achieve that goal by 2010, and I think we can."

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 13 March 2008

Sanader says reforms not only because of EU, but for whole society's sake

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said in Brussels on Thursday that Croatia was ready to implement all reforms required for the completion of accession negotiations by 2009, not only because of the EU, but because of the interests of Croatian society as a whole. "What we are doing is not only in order to meet EU membership criteria, but for our own sake as well", Sanader said after talks with the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana. Earlier today, Sanader met President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, who said the EC would announce this autumn that the target date for wrapping up negotiations with Croatia was the autumn of 2009, if Croatia met the requirements.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 13 March 2008

Sanader on EPP leaders' reaction to target date for Croatia's EU entry

The leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, said in Brussels on Thursday that leaders from EU member-countries who are members of the European People's Party (EPP) received very well the announcement by the European Commission that Croatia's EU entry talks would be completed by autumn 2009. "It was very clear that they, primarily German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Dutch Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende and others, could not wait for the European Commission president to announce the possible scenario of completion of Croatia's accession talks," Sanader said after a meeting of prime ministers, heads of state and opposition leaders from EU countries who are members of the EPP.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 13 March 2008

Barroso says target date for completing Croatia's EU talks autumn 2009

The European Commission will announce this autumn that the target date for wrapping up Croatia's European Union accession negotiations is the autumn of 2009, provided that Croatia meets the requirements, EC President Jose Manuel Barroso said in Brussels on Thursday after talks with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader. Speaking to the press, Barroso said he could confirm that in its autumn package the EC would present a target time-frame for the technical completion of the negotiations by the autumn of 2009, before the end of this EC's term, provided that Croatia met the set requirements. This was the first time that EC officials spoke in specific terms about the completion of Croatia's membership negotiations.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 10 March 2008

Rehn says EFPZ solution near, accelerated negotiations to follow

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Brussels on Monday that a solution to the issue of Croatia's Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ) was very near, and that it would provide for fast progress in Croatia's EU accession negotiations. Rehn said a solution was being worked on and that he was confident the issue could be settled soon, in line with EU Council conclusions from February and in the good European spirit. He added that this would eliminate the existing hurdle and give a crucial boost to Croatia's negotiations.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 5 March 2008

2008 crucial for Croatia's accession negotiations with EU

This year can be decisive for Croatia's European Union accession negotiations, if the country steps up necessary reforms and quickly solves the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ), European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Wednesday.  The year 2008 can be decisive for the accession negotiations provided that Croatia makes significant progress in the reform of the judiciary and public administration, the struggle against corruption and the restructuring of the shipbuilding sector. Croatia should promptly solve the EFPZ issue, Rehn told reporters in Brussels.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 29 February 2008

Rehn, Pusic discuss Croatia's EU accession negotiations

The chair of the National Committee in charge of monitoring Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union, Vesna Pusic, held talks in Brussels on Friday with Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on the current state of the negotiations and ways of overcoming the current stalemate. Pusic said after the talks that two issues were to blame for the slower pace of the negotiations -- the meeting of benchmarks for opening and closing the negotiation chapters, and Croatia's Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ).

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 27 February 2008

Swoboda says good talks on Croatia's fishing zone under way

The European Parliament Rapporteur for Croatia, Austrian Socialist Hannes Swoboda, has said that "good talks are under way" between Croatia, Italy, and Slovenia regarding Croatia's Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ), but declined to reveal any details. I am informed about that to the extent to which things can be public. This is about the compensation for countries, Italy and Slovenia, but it is too early to speak publicly on different proposals as this may spark opposition. I repeat that it is necessary that Croatia take the first, brave step, or no settlement can be found, Swoboda said in Brussels.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 27 February 2008

EP Committee adopts report on Croatia

The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday adopted a report on Croatia. The only MP who refrained from voting was the Slovene deputy, who said that a compromise amendment on a section of the report dealing with Croatia's Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ) had endorsed Croatia's position that the EFPZ was a bilateral issue between Croatia and Slovenia, and not an issue between Croatia and the EU. A total of 52 members of the Foreign Affairs Committee voted for the report, nobody was against it.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 18 February 2008

Rehn hopes solution to Croatia's fisheries zone will be found soon

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Monday he hoped a political solution to the issue of Croatia's Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ) in the Adriatic Sea might soon be found. I hope a political solution to this issue might be reached soon, Rehn told a press conference in Brussels after a meeting of EU foreign ministers. Rehn confirmed that the European Commission was working on resolving the issue and that it was in contact with all the interested parties.countries.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 14 February 2008

Croatia will contribute to EU mission in Kosovo

Croatia will contribute to the European Union's police and judicial mission in Kosovo, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday. The EU will formalise by the end of the week at the latest its decision to send the mission due to the expected proclamation of independence. The EULEX mission will have about 2,000 members, including judicial, customs and administration staff, as well as 1,500 police. A special unit comprised of 250 judges and judicial staff will be in charge of reforming the judiciary. Non-EU countries are expected to contribute too, including Croatia, Turkey, Switzerland, Norway and the US.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 12 February 2008

European Liberals strongly support Croatia's EU membership bid

The European Liberals strongly support Croatia's efforts to join the European Union as soon as possbile, the chairman of the Liberal caucus in the European Parliament, Graham Watson, said on Tuesday. We strongly support Croatia's accession to the European Union as soon as possible. We believe that the presence of the Liberals in the Croatian government would accelerate the necessary reforms, Watson told reporters in Brussels after meeting the Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Djurdja Adlesic.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 12 February 2008

ECOFIN Adopts Accession Partnership for Croatia

The European Union's ministers of the economy and finance adopted without discussion on Tuesday a revised accession partnership with Croatia, a document containing short and long term priorities in meeting criteria for EU membership. In 2005, when Croatia began membership negotiations, the previous European Partnership was renamed Accession Partnership, an important document whose implementation is crucial for advancing in the accession process and which is a guideline for programming pre-accession funds.

NEWS

VUKOVAR, 8 February 2008

Swoboda impressed by reconstruction of Vukovar

The European Parliament's Rapporteur on Croatia and member of its Foreign Affairs Committee, Hannes Swoboda, who was on a working visit to Vukovar-Srijem County on Friday, said that he was impressed by the reconstruction of Vukovar and the fact that its residents had turned to the future. Speaking of the status of ethnic minorities, Swoboda said that Croatia had such minority laws that did not exist even in some EU countries and that it was rather rare to see a member of a minority group in the post of deputy prime minister, which was the case in Croatia.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 7 February 2008

Swoboda praises Croatia's efforts to solve problems of refugees

Hannes Swoboda, a member of the European Parliament and rapporteur for Croatia, praised Croatia for having done so much for refugees and for its cooperation with the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). No country that experienced the war has done more for the issue of refugees and for the cooperation with the Hague tribunal as Croatia. There are also some pertinent minor problems which need be solved, including providing returnees with housing and the protection of witnesses, Swoboda, who was on a visit to Croatia, told reporters.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 6 February 2008

MEPs satisfied with Croatia's resolve to meet requirements in bid to join EU

A delegation of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee is encouraged by the Croatian government's resolve to meet the remaining requirements in the process of accession negotiations with the European Union, and it will help Zagreb to accomplish this goal and solve outstanding issues with Slovenia, the head of the delegation and the committee's vice chairman, Ioan Mircea Pascu, said in Zagreb on Wednesday. Rapporteur Swoboda said he was glad to see that the Croatian Prime Minister had clearly stated that Croatia would take additional intensive efforts to fulfil its obligations, and added that the European Union and other factors would do their share of the job.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 29 January 2008

EP Foreign Affairs Committee discusses Croatia

EP rapporteur Hannes Swoboda presented his draft progress report on Croatia in which he voiced regret that the Croatian government had decided to unilaterally establish the EFPZ in the Adriatic and scrap the 2004 agreement with Italian and Slovene authorities. In his address, Croatian negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak explained that the EFPZ had been proclaimed in accordance with a UN convention, that it did not prejudge borders, and that over the past three years it had applied to Croatia and third countries but not to those in the EU. He recalled that Slovenia and Italy declared their own ecological zones in 2005 and 2006. Drobnjak said the issue could have been settled in negotiations on fisheries but that one country had been blocking this for some time, without naming it. He said that minutes signed by Croatian, Italian and Slovene state secretaries in the presence of an EC representative, in which Croatia said that the EFPZ would not apply to EU countries, was not a treaty and had not been ratified by parliaments. Many questions in the debate were prompted by Drobnjak's dissatisfaction with the speed of the accession negotiations, although he said Croatia was not dissatisfied with what had been achieved so far. He added that Croatia could not be the only responsible party for the pace of the process.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 28 January 2008

Swoboda hails Croatia's progress

In his latest progress report on Croatia, the European Parliament's rapporteur Hannes Swoboda hails the progress Croatia has made so far and calls on Zagreb to invest more efforts in political, administrative and economic reforms and into resolving outstanding issues with its neighbours. The report, which Swoboda will present to the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, hails the progress Croatia made in 2007. Swoboda has announced that a new resolution on Croatia could be adopted in April or March.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 23 January 2008

Swoboda wants European Parliament to approve Croatia Accession Agreement

The European Commission Rapporteur on Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, said in Brussels on Wednesday that in his new report on Croatia, which he will present next week, he would recommend that the European Parliament approve the Croatian accession agreement with the European Union. Speaking at a meeting of the EU-Croatia Task Force within the Committee on the Regions, Swoboda said he had suggested to the Croatian government to do its utmost so that the accession negotiations could be completed by the end of this year.The report will also stress the need for economic reform, especially in the shipbuilding sector, and will cite the issue of borders with neighbours and the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ) as particularly sensitive issues.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 16 January 2008

Sanader dissatisfied with pace of Croatia's EU membership talks

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of Croatia's EU membership talks. "In 2007 we didn't close a single negotiating chapter, the talks are entering their third year and we cannot be satisfied. Responsibility for that certainly doesn't rest only with Croatia," Sanader told reporters in Brussels after attending a meeting in NATO headquarters on Croatia's preparations for NATO membership and talks with European People's Party president Wilfried Martens on the course of Croatia's accession talks.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 14 January 2008

Barroso congratulates Sanader on reappointment as Croatian PM

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Monday congratulated Ivo Sanader on his reappointment as Prime Minister of Croatia, saying he was confident that the new Croatian government would continue to meet the necessary criteria for EU membership. The European Commission is looking forward to continuing the excellent relations and cooperation it has had with the government and people of Croatia. I believe your government will continue to meet the criteria necessary for EU membership in order to accomplish the ambitious goal Croatia has set itself, Barroso said in his message.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 13 January 2008

Croatia ranks 31st on Globalisation list

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 10 January 2008

Commissioner Borg urges prompt solution to EFPZ

It is necessary to find a prompt solution even if it is a temporary settlement to the issue of Croatia's Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (EFPZ), while a permanent solution should be sought within Croatia's accession negotiations with the EU on the fisheries chapter, said Joe Borg, the European Commissioner responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs. A permanent solution should be sought within Croatia's membership talks on the fisheries policy chapter, Borg told a group of Croatian and Slovene journalists in Brussels on Wednesday. It is Slovenia that has been blocking the opening of talks on this policy chapter in negotiations between Croatia and the European Union. Borg said that the EFPZ issue had two aspects. One of them refers to the border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia, and the EC Commissioner described this as "a bilateral issue" which should be resolved bilaterally.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 3 January 2008

EC official says EFPZ issue should be solved as soon as new Croatian Govt. is formed

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 17 December 2007

Croatian GDP according to PPP 52% of EU average

Croatia's Gross Domestic Product in 2006 has surpassed half the average GDP in the European Union when measured by the Purchasing Power Parity theory, Eurostat said on Monday. Croatia's GDP according to the theory in 2006 was 52 per cent against 50% in 2005 and 49% in 2004, said Eurostat. The Croatian GDP does not include even an estimate of the share of the grey economy, which Eurostat measured in all new European Union countries.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 15 December 2007

Sanader nominated Premier-designate

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 14 December 2007

Sanader expects Croatia's EU entry talks to accelerate

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 5 December 2007

Stabilisation and Association Committee says Croatia continuing with EU integration

Croatia is continuing with the process of reforms and integration with the EU, and it must step up efforts in fighting corruption and reforming public administration, a joint Croatia-EU body said at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. The Croatia-EU Stabilisation and Association Committee stated that Croatia was continuing the process of EU integration and the implementation of comprehensive reforms, as well as that it should focus on meeting obligations arising from its Stabilisation and Association Agreement and priorities from the Accession Partnership, as well as on investing additional effort to meet EU membership criteria.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 5 December 2007

Croatian President meets top EU officials in Brussels

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic in Brussels on Wednesday met top European Union officials with whom he discussed the state of affairs in Croatia, relations between Zagreb and Brussels and the situation in the region. The Croatian president met the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. He also met representatives of the Brussels region, one of the three Belgian federal units, and visited the headquarters of the European Jewish Community.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 26 November 2007

Rehn expects rapid formation of new government, welcomes consensus on EU

European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn welcomed on Monday the fact that Croatia's parliamentary election was held in accordance with international standards, voicing hope that the elected politicians would form the new government soon. "We welcome the broad consensus on the process of accession to the European Union which exists among all the main political actors. I trust the future government will strive for EU membership and work on fulfilling the necessary criteria", Rehn said in a written statement released by the European Commission.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 26 November 2007

Incomplete results give HDZ 61 seats and SDP 56 seats; Turnout 63.5%

According to ballots which the State Election Commission (DIP) processed by 13:00 hrs on 26 November, the turnout in Sunday's parliamentary election in Croatia was 63.53 percent. According to incomplete results the DIP released at noon on Monday, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won 61 seats and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) 56. They are followed by the coalition of the Peasant Party (HSS) and the Social Liberals (HSLS) with eight seats and the People's Party (HNS) with seven seats. In a likely 153-seat parliament, the future ruling coalition would need 77 MPs to have an absolute majority.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 26 November 2007

MEPs congratulate Croatia on democratic parliamentary election

Leaders of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament hold that at Sunday's parliamentary elections Croats showed that they wanted a policy of consensus and that they wanted to enter the European Union as soon as possible. The result of the election race is very tight, and shows that citizens want to see the country join the European Union as soon as possible, the Vice President of the Party of European Socialists, Jan Marinus Wiersma, said in Brussels on Monday 26 November. Doris Pack, a parliamentarian of the European People's Party (EPP), said the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was the winner of the parliamentary polls and that it should form the country's next government.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 21 November 2007

Rehn says Croatia could complete EU entry talks in first half of 2009

Answering questions at the European Parliament's external relations committee, European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has said that Croatia could complete European Union accession negotiations in the first half of 2009, and that this depends only on Croatia and its fulfillment of the necessary conditions.  We see this year as the year of opening negotiations on policy chapters and the next year as the year closing the policy chapters.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 21 November 2007

Swoboda and Posselt on Croatia's achievements in combating corruption

Over the past years Croatia has done a lot in combating corruption, but it should be made clear that the EU criteria are much stricter now and that Croatia should step up up its efforts in this regard, the Austrian Socialist member of the European Parliament and rapporteur on Croatia, Hannes Swoboda, told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday after a debate in the Foreign Relations Committee on progress reports on candidates and potential candidates for EU membership. German Christian Democrat Bernd Posselt said that in its progress report the European Commission was not entirely fair to Croatia on the issues of minority rights and combating corruption.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 19 November 2007

Raboteg meets EU Defence Ministers

European Union defence ministers discussed the development of Europe's defence policy in Brussels on 19 November and informed representatives of accession candidate countries, including Croatia, of the results of the meeting. The EU Troika met representatives of Croatia, Turkey and Macedonia, as well as Iceland and Norway, NATO countries outside the EU. Croatia was represented by the state secretary at the Defence Ministry, Mate Raboteg.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 16 November 2007

Lovrin: Results of Judicial Reform are excellent

Justice Minister Ana Lovrin said on 16 November that judicial reform had gained full momentum during the term of the outgoing government and that it had produced excellent results. The number of backlog court cases had been halved, while that of outstanding land-registry and distraint cases had been reduced by 60 per cent and 70 per cent respectively. The average time needed for ownership registration has been cut from 900 to 63 days while mortgage registration now takes up to seven days.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 9 November 2007

Croatia and Eurojust signed a Judicial Co-operation Agreement

The Croatian Minister of Justice, Ms Ana Lovrin, and the President of the College of Eurojust, Mr Michael Kennedy, signed on Friday 9 November an official agreement on strengthening judicial co-operation between Eurojust and Croatia. The ceremony, which was organised in the EU Council’s press centre in Brussels, was attended by the Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Franco Frattini, and, on behalf of the EU presidency, by Mr Alberto Costa, Minister of Justice of Portugal. The agreement will enable enhancement of co-operation between Croatia and Eurojust in joined and more efficient suppression of all forms of serious international, cross-border and organised crime. It is an important step forward for Croatia in light of the future membership Croatia in the EU, said Mr Kennedy.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 9 November 2007

EC expect continuation of strong economic growth in Croatia

Croatia's economic performance in the next two years is expected to remain strong, the European Commission said in its economic assessment report on Friday. The Commission estimates that Croatia's economic growth this year should accelerate by six percent, after last year's 4.8 percent. The inflation rate measured by consumer prices this year is projected at 2.5 percent. According to Brussels, the inflation rate in 2008 and 2009 will amount to three percent.

ANNOUNCEMENT

BRUSSELS, 8 November 2007

Croatia and EUROJUST will sign Judicial Co-operation Agreement

On Friday, 9 November, the President of the College of Eurojust, Michael Kennedy, and the Minister of Justice of Croatia, Ms Ana Lovrin, will sign an official agreement on strengthening judicial co-operation between Eurojust and Croatia. The ceremony will be attended by Vice-President Franco Frattini and Alberto Costa, Minister of Justice of Portugal. The ceremony will take place on Friday, 9 November 2007, at 13:00 in the Council of the European Union, Justus Lipsius building, Press Centre, rue de la Loi, Brussels.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 6 November 2007

EC defines priorities Croatia is expected to address on road to European Union

The European Commission on Tuesday released a draft of Croatia's Accession Partnership with priorities in its further accession process. This is a proposal for the revised accession partnership updating the document of this kind for 2006. The document entitled "Croatia 2007 Accession Partnership", which is expected to be confirmed by the Council of the European Union, is compiled on a basis of the findings of the Commission's Progress Report on this aspirant for the EU membership and is also a guideline for the allocation of pre-accession funds to the country.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 6 November 2007

EC releases Croatia Progress Report

Croatia meets the political criteria, it has strengthened democracy and the rule of law, and achieved strong economic growth and macroeconomic stability, but needs to accelerate the reform of public administration and the judiciary and step up the fight against corruption, the European Commission said in its annual progress report on Tuesday. The report describes relations between Croatia and the EU, analyses the situation in Croatia with regard to compliance with the political and economic criteria, its ability to assume the obligations arising from EU membership and the level of adjustment to the acquis communautaire.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 6 November 2007

Croatia can withdraw €462.2m from IPA in 2009-2011

Croatia will be able to withdraw EUR462.6 million from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) in the 2009-2011 period, the European Commission reported on Tuesday. Together with progress reports on EU candidates and potential candidates, the European Commission also released the financial framework for the 2009-2011 period, stating the amounts each country can count on.

NEWS

LISBON, 18 October 2007

EPP Leaders: Regret over ICTY verdict, Congratulate Croatia on UNSC membership

Leaders of the European People's Party (EPP) expressed regret in Lisbon on Thursday over the Hague war crimes tribunal's inappropriate verdict against three former Yugoslav Army generals, and congratulated Croatia on being elected a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2008-09 period. The leaders of the EPP, the strongest faction in the European Parliament, adopted a resolution in which they expressed regret over the lack of an appropriate and fair response to war crimes in the Vukovar massacre case.

NEWS

NEW YORK, 15 October 2007

Croatia wants justice for Vukovar, Sanader tells UN

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Monday addressed the United Nations General Assembly on a verdict handed down by a trial chamber of the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the case of three Yugoslav army officers charged with a massacre of 264 Croatian civilians and prisoners of war on the Ovcara farm outside the eastern town of Vukovar in November 1991.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 12 October 2007

Croatia opens negotiations on two more policy chapters in EU accession process

Croatia has opened negotiations with the European Union on two more chapters of the acquis communautaire, bringing the number of open chapters to 14 out of 33 (more details here). Negotiations on the Consumer and Health Protection Chapter and the External Relations Chapters were opened at an intergovernmental accession conference in Brussels on Friday. The Croatian delegation was led by Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who said that Croatia fully accepted the provisions of the acquis communautaire regarding the two chapters and it did not request any transitional periods. Croatia might open negotiations on five more policy chapters before the end of the year, including those on freedom of movement for workers, transport policy, energy, trans-European networks, and finance and budgetary provisions.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 2 October 2007

Croatia-EU Committee shows understanding for reactions in Croatia to ICTY ruling

The Croatia-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee ended a two-day session in Brussels on Tuesday by adopting a declaration in which it expressed understanding for reactions in Croatia to the verdict of the Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal in the case of the notorious Vukovar Three. The declaration welcomes the continuation of full cooperation between Croatia and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 1 October 2007

Croatia and EU sign Memorandum of understanding for access to EIP

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 1 October 2007

Chief negotiator says Croatia wants to be ready for EU membership by 2009

Croatia will try to close as many chapters as possible in 2007 and be ready for European Union membership in 2009, Croatia's chief negotiator in EU entry talks Vladimir Drobnjak said at a meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee in Brussels on Monday. "When it comes to general pace, our objective remains unchanged, we wish to be fully ready for membership by the end of 2009," Drobnjak said.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 26 June 2007

Croatia opens negotiations on another six acquis communautaire chapters

Croatia opened negotiations on another six chapters of the European acquis communautaire in Brussels on 26 June, which is a breakthrough in its accession process. Opening negotiations on six chapters is a signal that this is more than statistics, that this is a real breakthrough. These six and the chapters opened before show that Croatia is making good progress on the path to the EU, the chairman of the Council of the European Union, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, told the press after an Intergovernmental Conference on accession on the ministerial level. Negotiations were opened on the following chapters: Right of Establishment and Freedom to Provide Services, Company Law, Financial Services, Information Society and Media, Statistics, and Financial Control. Croatia has opened negotiations on a total of 12 chapters now, and negotiations have been closed on two.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 21 March 2007

EU-Croatia Parliamentary Committee for Participation of Croats in 2009 European Elections

The EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee on Wednesday supported Croatia's efforts to join the European Union by 2009 and to enable its citizens to participate in the European elections that year. A Declaration adopted at the end of the Joint Parliamentary Committee's fifth meeting in Zagreb strongly supported Croatia's efforts "to move towards full membership to the European Union". The Declaration highlighted the "remarkably good preparation of Croatian negotiators and officials involved in the accession negotiations", but also pointed out that much more had to be done in judicial and state administration reform.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 20 March 2007

Croatian Justice Minister addresses two EP Committees

Croatian Justice Minister Ana Lovrin informed members of two European Parliament committees in Brussels on Tuesday about the course of the judiciary reform in Croatia and answered their questions. She explained that the Croatian Government is carrying out a set of reforms, with a special focus on reducing the backlog of pending cases, strengthening anti-corruption policy, rationalizing the court network and equipping courts with IT. Important results have been achieved so far and more than half of the measures planned and drawn up in the Strategy of the Reform adopted in 2005 have been implemented.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 19 March 2007

EU Enlargement Commissioner urges Croatia to continue Judiciary Reform

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said he expected the continuation of the judiciary reform in Croatia and concrete results in combating corruption. I have urged Croatia to continue its work in order to achieve concrete results in the judiciary reform and in combating corruption. We have registered progress in the area of the judiciary, figures show that the backlog of cases has been reduced by 30 per cent, Rehn told reporters after meeting Croatian Justice Minister Ana Lovrin in Brussels.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 15 March 2007

Croatian PM attends European Business Summit in Brussels

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader in Brussels on Thursday attended the opening of the 5th European Business Summit and a presentation of investment opportunities in Croatia, "Croatia, the 28th member of the EU - How to Invest in Croatia?". Mr Sanader, together with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, was one of the speakers at the opening of the summit which has become Europe's most important dialogue between business leaders and policy makers. "This is an excellent opportunity for the presentation of Croatia's economy, notably to those who know Croatia only as a nice tourist destination," Sanader said. In his speech, Belgian PM Verhofstadt mentioned Croatia as the 28th member of the EU. PM Sanader said that during short bilateral talks he invited Verhofsdadt to visit Croatia, which the Belgian PM accepted.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 7 March 2007

Croatian Prime Minister meets Socialist members of European Parliament

This year Croatia could open negotiations on all chapters of the acquis communautaire and close them in the course of next year, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told Socialist members of the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday. Asked if it was realistic for Croatia to become a member in 2009, the chairman of the Socialist group, Martin Schulz, said that he is personally very optimistic that Croatia will be able to join at the earliest possible moment, adding that his impression is that Croatia can achieve its goals by the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009. As for him, there is no further obstacles to the completion of the negotiations.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 12 February 2007

‘Enlargement fatigue’ will not stop Croatia from joining the EU

Croatia’s Foreign Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic gives her views to Europolitics on a range of issues, from Croatia’s EU prospects, the resumption of EU-Serbia Stability and Association Agreement (SAA) negotiations and talks on the future status of Kosovo. At about the same time, EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to decide on one of their most important decisions regarding the future of the western Balkans - whether or not to resume talks with Serbia on an SAA. 

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 21 December 2006

Croatia-EU open negotiations on three more policy chapters

Croatia opened negotiations on three more chapters of the European acquis communautaire on Thursday, thus wrapping up this year with five open chapters, of which two have already been temporarily closed. At an Intergovernmental Conference meeting in Brussels, negotiations were opened on the Customs Union, Enterprise and Industry, and Economic and Monetary Policy.

NEWS

MEISE, 14 December 2006

Barroso supports Croatia's EU membership

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso met Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Thursday, voicing strong support for Croatia's membership of the European Union. Sanader attended a summit of the European People's Party (EPP) in Meise (Belgium), and held talks with Barroso. I am glad about the progress Croatia has made so far and we strongly support Croatia's European perspective, we are working actively with Prime Minister Sanader, his government and team so that this could become a reality, and we will do our best so that this big project for Croatia and Europe could be accomplished as soon as possible, said Barroso.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 11 December 2006

Croatia and EU close negotiations on Education and Culture

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 6 December 2006

Barroso says 2007 crucial for Croatia's admission to EU

NEWS

ZAGREB, 1 December 2006

Rehn says Croatia at top of EU enlargement agenda

European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said during a two-day visit in Zagreb, Osijek and Vukovar that Croatia was at the top of the EU enlargement agenda and that it should become the 28th member. To this end, it has to face. To this end, it has to face three major challenges - judicial reform, public administration reform, and the fight against corruption and organised crime. Croatia can expect to join the European Union by the end of this decade, as the country has made considerable headway, which the European Commission noted in a recent progress report, Olli Rehn said in Zagreb.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 8 November 2006

Croatia is satisfied with European Commission report

Croatia is satisfied with a progress report adopted by the European Commission, because the report notes progress Croatia has made and gives guidelines for future activities and it also supports a strategic document on the EU enlargement policy in the future, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said in Zagreb on Wednesday.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 5 October 2006

Croatian Foreign Minister meets European Commission Vice-President

Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic met in Brussels on Thursday with European Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström, with whom she discussed the need to improve cooperation in the area of communication strategy. Wallstroem is also Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 5 October 2006

Head of Croatian diplomacy addressed the MEPs

Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović paid a visit to Brussels 5 October 2006, where she, a year after the start of Croatia’s EU membership negotiations, testified before the members of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. She reported on the progress in reforms, meeting the membership criteria, implementing the SAP, and on the process of informing the public, as well as answered members’ numerous questions.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 4 October 2006

Joint EU-Croatia Parliamentary Committee adopts a Declaration

NEWS

ZAGREB, 3 October 2006

Croatia marks one year of Accession negotiations with EU

The European Commission Delegation in Croatia and the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration on Tuesday organised a reception on the first anniversary of the opening of Croatia's European Union entry negotiations, at which Croatia and the EU said they were satisfied with the negotiations so far. After a positive assessment of Croatia's full cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal on 3 October 2005, the Council of the EU concluded the same day that Croatia had met the last condition for the opening of the accession negotiations, which were launched at an intergovernmental conference.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 15 June 2006

PM Sanader: EPP supports Croatia's EU entry, separating negotiations for Croatia

BRUSSELS, June 15 -  European People's Party leaders support Croatia's membership of the European Union and the separation of the negotiating processes for Croatia and Turkey, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said in Meise on Thursday. Sanader, who is also the president of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), attended a meeting of the leaders of the EPP, the umbrella organisation of Europe's Democratic Christian and People's parties. Such meetings are held ahead of every EU summit.

NEWS

LUXEMBOURG, 13 June 2006

First chapter in Croatia's EU accession negotiations opened

The first chapter in Croatia's EU accession negotiations, Science & Research, was opened and temporarily closed on Monday, 12 June 2006, at at the Intergovernmental Accession Conference held in Luxembourg between Croatia and the EU. The head of Croatian delegation, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Mrs Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, said that Croatia is determined to meet its obligations, continue with the reforms and pointed out that Croatia recognises the importance of a successful implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. She stressed Croatian side’s expectations for the negotiations' dynamics to be based on individual achievements.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 13 April 2006

Borrell: Croatia undoubtedly on the path to EU

ZAGREB, April 12 -  Croatia is undoubtedly on the path that leads to full membership of the EU, European Parliament President Josep Borrell said in an address to the Croatian Parliament in Zagreb on Wednesday, 12 April. Borrell, who is on a two-day official visit to Croatia, said the European Parliament supported Croatia's full membership of the EU, considering that it is in the interest of the European people that this part of Europe is politically stable and economically developed and integrated with Europe.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 15 February 2006

Barroso: Croatia is on the right track and enjoys EC's support

ZAGREB, Feb 15  -  Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader received on 15 February European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who arrived in Zagreb for a two-day visit, accompanied by EC Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and the head of the EC Directorate-General for Enlargement, Michael Leigh. EC President's visit to Croatia several months after the country launched accession negotiations with the European Union is a sign that Croatia was on the right track and that it enjoyed the EC's support. Next day, President Barroso will be received by President Stjepan Mesic and address the national parliament.

NEWS

BRUSSELS, 7 February 2006

Lighthouses of Croatia" Exhibition Opens at European Commission

Croatia''s Deputy Prime Minister, Damir Polančec, along with Joe Borg, European Commissioner responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, opened the exhibition "Lighthouses of Croatia" in the Berlaymont building on Tuesday, 7 February at 18:00. The photographic exhibition is presented by Croatia''s Ministry of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development and the Mission of Croatia to the European Union, in cooperation with the European Commission and Plovput-Split, the Croatian Lighthouse Authority. The photographs will remain on display on the First Floor, Central Hall and Press Area of the Berlaymont through 3 March.

NEWS

ZAGREB, 18 December 2005

Croatia to open negotiations on 8 of 35 chapters by mid 2006

NEWS

ZAGREB, 4 October 2005

PM Sanader says this is great day for Croatia

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw have expressed deep satisfaction with the historic day when Croatia opened accession negotiations with the European Union. 

NEWS

LUXEMBOURG-ZAGREB, 4 October 2005

EU Council of Ministers decides to launch membership talks with Croatia  

The European Union Council of Ministers decided that accession negotiations with Croatia would be open in the early hours of Tuesday, October 4. 

NEWS

ZAGREB, 16 March 2005

PM Sanader views postponement as short pause in EU integration process

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told the Croatian Television on Wednesday evening that he did not regard the postponement of the Croatia´s entry talks with the European Union as a political failure but as a shorter pause in the process of joining the European Union.