EGGENBURG/AUSTRIA, Jan 24(Hina) - The president of the Paneuropean Union, Otto von Hapsburg, has called for admitting Croatia into the European Union as soon as possible and for making another step after the next enlargement round
that would include Croatia.
EGGENBURG/AUSTRIA, Jan 24(Hina) - The president of the Paneuropean
Union, Otto von Hapsburg, has called for admitting Croatia into the
European Union as soon as possible and for making another step after
the next enlargement round that would include Croatia.#L#
"Croatia is a typical European country, more European than some other
countries in Europe," von Hapsburg said in the lecture "Europe After
Enlargement in 2004 - Chances and Challenges" that he delivered at the
international conference "Quo Vadis Integration" in Eggenburg,
Austria, on Friday.
Von Hapsburg voiced great satisfaction with the upcoming admission of
ten new members into the EU, but he also added: "This must not be the
last step, it should be used to encourage another enlargement round".
"There are countries which are waiting and which deserve to be full
members of the European family of states."
"We are looking forward to the admission of the ten members that will
join the EU on 1 May 2004, but we must not forget the Croats. That is
the next step that must be made".
Von Hapsburg concluded his lecture by saying that Austria had the
obligation to support Croatia and all the countries it shared the same
history with in their efforts to join the EU.
The three-day European conference in Eggenburg, Lower Austria, which
ends today, gathered some 300 participants from the countries that
will join the EU on 1 May, candidate-countries, and Croatia as the
only country from the Stabilisation and Association Process.
This is the first international event organised by the newly-founded
European Academy for Research, Civil Society and Integration (EALIZ)
and held under the auspices of the Austrian foreign ministry and the
government of Lower Austria.
The author of the project and head of the academy, Heinrich Badura,
said the project was aimed at helping peoples and societies during
their integration in the EU.
"Croatia is very important to us; that is also the position of the
Austrian government. We believe that it is important to give (Croatia)
the opportunity of cooperation based on the common commitment to
European values," Badura said.
Speaking about the current political and economic situation in
Croatia, Croatia's Ambassador to Austria, Drazen Vukov Colic, said the
new government and the Croatian people were strongly committed to the
country's accelerated integration into the EU.
(Hina) rml