"Austria will continue strongly supporting Croatia on its path to the European Union," Schuessel said during talks with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on the margins of a Christian Social Union (CSU) convention in the German city of Nuremberg on Saturday.
Addressing the CSU convention before meeting Sanader, the Austrian chancellor pleaded for Croatia's case and its aspirations to become a full member of the bloc.
"The way in which Croatia is being treated in Europe is completely intolerable," said Schuessel, who attended the CSU conference in his capacity as chairman of the Austrian People's Party (OVP). He added that the way in which Sanader was being treated in Croatia was equally intolerable.
The Austrian chancellor mentioned an initiative launched by the European People's Party in order to boost prospects for the opening of EU membership talks with Croatia as soon as possible. "We have put together a document which is supported by (CDU leader) Angela Merkel and I think it has started producing results," he added.
Schuessel said that the situation in this regard would be more favourable after an expected victory of the Christian Democrats in the forthcoming elections in Germany.
The CSU convention ended with the re-election of Edmund Stoiber as party chairman.