He told Hina he felt June was too near to do everything Croatia needed to do to convincingly show that it was doing everything in its power in connection with the issue of Ante Gotovina, the runaway general wanted by the Hague war crimes tribunal. He said it took time to secure strong evidence proving Croatia's willingness to fully cooperate with the UN court, and added that it might be possible to obtain this evidence by the autumn.
Mimica was speaking on the fringes of a lecture called "Croatia at the Crossroads: Europe or..." held at Europe House in Zagreb on the occasion of Europe Day and the 55th anniversary of the Robert Schuman talk which started European economic integration.
The lecture was organised by the Robert Schuman Centre for European Documentation and Research, the European Circle Croatia, which is presided by Mimica, and the European Movement Croatia.
Mimica said Croatia was at a crossroads because the Balkans could no longer be posed as a counterpoint because one day, probably within the next 15 years, all the Balkan countries would be members of the European Union.
He said the government's biggest task was no so much preparation for the entry talks or the reforms that need to be completed, but communication with citizens so that they can be informed of the advantages and disadvantages of EU membership.