SCHUESSEL SAYS CROATIA WILL JOIN EU IN 2007

VIENNA, April 22 (Hina) - Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said on Thursday he expected Croatia to join the European Union in the next enlargement round with Romania and Bulgaria.#L# Austria wholeheartedly supports Croatia's full membership in the EU, Schuessel told foreign reporters at a news conference on EU enlargement and home topics. Austria supported Croatia during the term of the former Ivica Racan government, and it is particularly supporting it now that Ivo Sanader's modern Croatian Democratic Union is in power, Schuessel said adding that Austrian officials had given Sanader much advice on the fulfilment of European criteria, especially with regard to cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal. Asked if it was realistic to expect Croatia to join the EU in 2007, Schuessel said the date of admission was not important, but the process of preparations. Croatia is on the right track towards meeting European standards, which has been confirmed by the European Commission's positive opinion, he said. For me, Europe is not a geographic term, Europe is where there is European spirit and where European values are respected, the Austrian chancellor said adding he expected Croatia to join the EU in the next enlargement round. (Hina) rml