Croatia's progress is in its own hands and reforms on the ground are decisive for the speed of the accession negotiations, said Rehn.
Speaking to the press after a meeting of the Stabilisation and Association Council, a Croatia-EU body in charge of monitoring the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, Rehn called on Croatia to take concrete steps in judicial and public administration reform and in combating corruption.
Croatia's citizens deserve an efficient and independent judiciary and a capable public administration, which is also important for the creation of a safe environment for investors, said Rehn.
He also called for continuing and intensifying reforms in the steel industry and shipbuilding, saying that such companies generated losses, spent public funds and burdened the fiscal policy.
Asked if Croatia's outstanding border issue with Slovenia could slow down its EU integration, Rehn said this was a bilateral issue and called on the two countries to find a bilateral solution in keeping with European tenets.
He said it would be best if this issue was closed before Slovenia took over the rotating EU presidency on 1 January 2008.