Degert said that Croatia was facing three challenges on its road towards the European Union: completing accession negotiations, countering corruption and ensuring wide public support for the country's plan to join the European bloc.
With regard to the negotiations, Degert said the process did not mean only adoption of laws in compliance with the European acquis communautaire, but also their enforcement. De-politicisation of the administration and strengthening of the national legal system are related to that process, he added.
As regards corruption, prevention as well as the adoption and application of administrative measures are important, but even more important is enabling citizens to understand those measures and the necessity to uproot corruption, according to Degert.
Public backing is important as the introduction of European standards and Croatia's accession to the EU cannot be carried out by force, the EC diplomat said in his lecture.