ZAGREB, April 19 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul told Croatian Television on Monday he was confident that the European Commission would tomorrow adopt a positive opinion (avis) on Croatia's EU membership application
and that none of the EU member states would halt the start of negotiations on full membership at a summit in June.
ZAGREB, April 19 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul told
Croatian Television on Monday he was confident that the European
Commission would tomorrow adopt a positive opinion (avis) on Croatia's
EU membership application and that none of the EU member states would
halt the start of negotiations on full membership at a summit in
June.#L#
According to Zuzul, the avis assesses the situation and progress made
in a candidate country and is not conditional on terms "if not this-
than that"
"I think it should be viewed as a positive recommendation and I firmly
believe it will be a positive recommendation. I also believe that
tomorrow we will receive a draft of European partnership, a document
which defines all concrete measures Croatia must take from the start
of accession negotiations until joining the EU," the minister told
Croatian Television.
Asked whether anyone could stop the start of negotiations between
Croatia and the EU on full membership, Zuzul said each of the 25 EU
member-states could do that, because the decision must be made by a
consensus.
"This will not depend on the content of the avis but on the position
of each EU member. We don't believe this would happen because we have
good relations with all the EU countries and based on what we hear, I
am confident in the positive outcome," Zuzul said.
The European Commission will issue the so-called avis on Croatia's
readiness to start negotiations on full EU membership after its
session in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
European Commissioner in charge of External Relations Chris Patten and
Commissioner in charge of EU expansion Guenter Verheugen will forward
the avis to Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul who will travel to
Strasbourg on Tuesday.
The European Commission will forward the avis to the European Council
which is expected to make a final decision on Croatia's EU membership
application and the date of the start of negotiations, The next
session of the European Council (EU summit) will be held in Brussels
on June 17 and 18.
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