After a positive assessment of Croatia's full cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal on 3 October 2005, the Council concluded the same day that Croatia had met the last condition for the opening of the accession negotiations, which were launched at an intergovernmental conference.
The head of the EC Delegation, Vincent Degert, and Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said the screening of the Croatian legislation's adjustment to European standards was successfully nearing completion and that to date 33 explanatory and 31 bilateral meetings had been held. The process will wrap up on October 18 with a bilateral meeting on the policy chapter on judiciary and human rights.
Grabar-Kitarovic said that reports had been adopted for 11 chapters. She added the EC and the EU member states felt Croatia was ready to open negotiations on six chapters, while benchmarks had been set for five chapters.
The minister said some strategic obligations ahead were not simple, for example regarding state support, public procurement, and restructuring of the shipbuilding and steel industries. She added, however, the government was ready to meet them in order to make the national economy more competitive while remaining socially sensitive.
Speaking of other challenges, Grabar-Kitarovic mentioned agriculture, combating corruption and organised crime, and increasing the efficiency of the judiciary and the state administration.
Asked by the press what he thought was the top priority in the coming negotiations, Degert said strengthening the capabilities of the state administration, fighting corruption and organised crime, and reforming the judiciary.
According to the Eurobarometer, more than 50 per cent of the EU population is in favour of Croatia's accession.
The minister said Croatia was satisfied to have the support of the EU's member states for an undisturbed, unquestionable and accelerated accession process. She added Croatia asked for no concessions, just the evaluation of its own achievements and conducting the negotiations at its own pace, irrespectively of other candidates' negotiations.
Grabar-Kitarovic and Degert agreed it was very important to include the public in the accession process, objectively presenting the advantages and shortcomings of full EU membership.
Degert said everything that had been done in Zagreb and Brussels would be futile unless the public on both sides were assured of that, because the public were not just an observer but a key player.
Grabar-Kitarovic said Croatia understood that institutional changes were necessary to provide for the accession of the EU's 28th member.
She said Croatia would wrap up negotiations by that time and voiced confidence that when it was ready for joining, the EU would keep its promise and find the institutional solutions to enable Croatia's accession.