The main criteria in setting up the negotiating team were the candidates' knowledge of English, competence and negotiating skills, while their political affiliation was completely disregarded, Sanader said at the first meeting of the state delegation and the negotiating team at the government headquarters.
The PM said that emphasis in talks with the EU would be placed on the quality and good outcome of the talks.
"Deadlines are not important, although it would be nice to join the EU in 2009, so that Croatian citizens could take part in the elections for the European Parliament," Sanader said.
Along with the negotiating team, Croatia also has a special advisor on negotiations, the EU's long-standing commissioner for agriculture, Franz Fischler. The government is currently working on hiring another two advisors from Germany and France, Sanader said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and head of the state delegation, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, said the process of screening for seven chapters of the EU acquis communautaire would be completed by the end of this year. The seven chapters refer to science and research, culture and education, public procurement, market competition, the right to establishment and free provision of services, free movement of capital, and agriculture and rural development.
Chief negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak introduced 13 heads of negotiating groups as well as heads of task forces for each of the 35 chapters of the acquis communautaire.
Each of the 13 heads of negotiating groups is in charge of several task forces for individual chapters of the acquis communautaire, ordered according to similarity.