"Primarily, I will ask that Croatia, as it has been the case with all other countries so far, be assessed according to its own merits. I will lobby for separate admission processes for Croatia and Turkey," Sanader said upon his arrival at a meeting of the leaders of the European People's Party (EPP), the umbrella organisation of European Democratic Christians and people parties. The EPP traditionally meets before each EU summit.
The EU summit is scheduled to start later this afternoon. It will focus on the European Constitution and the EU enlargement process.
The Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude, Juncker, said there were no grounds for an equal treatment of Croatia and Turkey. These are two different countries, two different realities, he said.
Asked if Croatia could join the EU even without the adoption of a new European Constitution, Juncker said Croatia was in a much more favourable position and better prepared than any other country in the context of enlargement, adding that in his opinion this was not an obstacle.
European liberal party leaders will meet in Brussels on Friday and Croatia will be represented by the president of the Croatian People's Party - liberal democrats - Vesna Pusic.