STRASBOURG, Jan 13 (Hina) - At the end of his visit to European Union institutions, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Tuesday evening addressed representatives of the parliamentary faction of the European People's Party (EPP),
the largest party group in the European Parliament.
STRASBOURG, Jan 13 (Hina) - At the end of his visit to European Union
institutions, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Tuesday evening
addressed representatives of the parliamentary faction of the European
People's Party (EPP), the largest party group in the European
Parliament.#L#
The EPP is an association gathering some 60 European Christian
Democrat and popular parties, and Sanader's Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ) has been its member since October 2002.
In a short address to EPP deputies Sanader said Croatia was ready to
meet all the necessary EU and NATO membership criteria.
A few deputies asked Sanader, among other things, about the policy
towards the Serb minority, Croatia's role in the stabilisation of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, relations with Slovenia, etc.
The Croatian PM answered in English, German and Italian, depending on
the language the question was asked in.
The chairman of the EPP group of deputies, Hans-Gert Poettering, said
later this was the first time deputies did not need the services of
interpreters when listening to answers to their questions.
On Monday and Tuesday Sanader visited Brussels and Strasbourg, where
he met the most senior officials of the European Commission, NATO, the
European Parliament and the Council of Europe.
Sanader was accompanied by Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul, Defence
Minister Berislav Roncevic and European Integration Minister Kolinda
Grabar-Kitarovic.
(Hina) rml sb