Potocnik, who held a joint news conference with Croatia's Science and Education Minister Dragan Primorac in Zagreb on Friday, said that the goal of the European Union was to see that by 2010 EU member states began allocating approximately three percent of GDP for research and science.
Croatia, which currently earmarks 1.2 percent of GDP for science and research, is on the right track, he said.
Earlier in the day, Potocnik and Primorac signed a memorandum of understanding on Croatia's accession to the European Community's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) for research and technological development. The document grants Croatia the status of an associate member in the programme. On that occasion Potocnik said that the FP6 would create new possibilities for Croatia and pave the way for its participation in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).
The EC official also commented on Croatia's accession negotiations with the EU.
"I am glad to see that the first chapter of the screening process was Chapter 25 on science and research. Croatia's delegation was exceptionally well prepared," Potocnik said, adding that he believed Croatia was destined to succeed.
In this context he added that Zagreb could always count on the European Commission's assistance.
Minister Primorac voiced satisfaction with the messages he had received during the day, which he said meant that "Croatia has become a member of the EU as far as science and research are concerned".
He admitted, however, that Croatia still had much to do and prepare itself for the FP7 programme.