Croatia can be a bridge bringing southeast European countries closer to the EU, and southeast European countries, along with Romania and Bulgaria, must be part of the European family for the sake of Europe's stability, Sanader said.
"No more wars, no more dictatorships," Sanader said, adding that Europe must not be divided if it wanted to accomplish those goals. Southeast European countries will join the EU when they meet the admission criteria, but restrictions and limits must not be imposed on the enlargement process, he said.
"Democracies have been established from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic on the basis of Christian values, which are the foundation of united Europe," said Sanader, whose words met with approval and were mentioned in the summary of the morning part of the session.
The study days of the European People's Parties were opened by Hans-Gert Poettering, chairman of the People's Party group in the European Parliament. The event was also addressed by Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Parliament Speaker Pierferdinando Casini, former Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar and others.
At the 17th convention of the European People's Party (EPP), which is to start on Thursday on the occasion of the EPP's 30th anniversary, Croatia will propose the adoption of a resolution on its fast-track accession to the EU. The draft of the resolution has been countersigned by the People's Parties from Spain, Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia.