Juncker made the statement while addressing reporters after a meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader at which they discussed Croatia's European prospects.
The Luxembourg prime minister, who was attending a two-day convention of the European People's Party (EPP) along with Sanader and hundreds of other representatives, said that parallels could not be drawn between Croatia's and Turkey's accession talks. In Croatia's case, the process will be completed soon and in Turkey's case, it will last much longer, he said.
Croatia should be viewed differently also in relation to other southeast European countries because it is much closer to the EU and has greater European prospects than other countries in the region, Juncker said.
The process of Croatia's EU accession should be significantly accelerated, and in case of other countries, more time will be needed, he added.
Asked if Croatia was in danger of staying among counties to which the EU planned to offer privileged partnership instead of full membership, Juncker answered negatively.
The issue of enlargement is a serious issue because the EU must have, for decades to come, a membership system that would envisage different levels of intensity, he said.
Croatia is not included in such considerations. It is on the road to membership and when it becomes an EU member, it will have the same status as current member-states, Juncker said.
Juncker's party, together with partner parties from Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, and the Croatian Democratic Union, signed a resolution urging faster accession for Croatia. The resolution will be voted by envoys attending the Rome convention this afternoon.
Croatian PM Ivo Sanader described Juncker's statements as very encouraging, adding that the country would continue working to prove that it really belonged to the circle of countries whose full membership in the EU was unquestionable.
Sanader used the 17th convention of the EPP to seek support for Croatia's full EU membership. He received support at talks with some EU prime ministers, from Silvio Berlusconi of Italy and Wolfgang Schuessel of Austria to Greek PM Kostas Karamanlis and Slovene PM Janez Jansa.