The article headlined "Croatia wins out in MEPs' enlargement debate" focuses on an enlargement report approved by the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee last Thursday.
"Croatia's bid for EU membership has received a boost from MEPs determined to make sure that their report criticising the European Commission's overall enlargement strategy does not undermine Zagreb's prospects for joining the club," reads the article.
It is emphasised that "that this well-prepared country with less than 4.5 million inhabitants does not overstrain the integration capacity of the European Union."
According to the EUObserver, "the strongly pro-Croatia language was added after a debate in the committee earlier in the week in which MEPs had expressed concern that a previous version of the report, stating that 'there can be no further enlargement without a Constitution for Europe', was too restrictive."
The online newspaper reported that several deputies argued that Croatia "could not be held hostage to the bloc's own internal wrangling over its frozen plans for a constitution."
It recalls that the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has recently said that there should not be further enlargement until the EU's institutions are reformed.
"Germany has taken up the challenge and indicated that during the first half of next year, under its EU presidency, it will work on getting constitutional talks back on track envisaging reform by 2009 - in line with Zagreb's own enlargement hopes," EUObserver said.
It added that "although Croatia received a boost on Thursday, MEPs were strongly critical of the commission's newly-published general strategy on enlargement."
The committee's report is to be voted on by the whole parliament on 13 December.