BRUSSELS, April 29 (Hina) - The European People's Party's (EPP) Political Bureau on Thursday unanimously decided to grant the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) associate member status in this association of Europe's Christian Democrat,
Conservative and Popular parties, the HDZ said in a statement.
BRUSSELS, April 29 (Hina) - The European People's Party's (EPP)
Political Bureau on Thursday unanimously decided to grant the Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ) associate member status in this association of
Europe's Christian Democrat, Conservative and Popular parties, the HDZ
said in a statement.#L#
Announcing the decision, EPP vice-president and head of the
enlargement task force Wim Van Welsen said the HDZ was admitted as an
associate member because its policy and that of its leader Ivo Sanader
credibly proved that the HDZ was democratic, modern and oriented
towards European values.
The credibility of that policy was also confirmed with the European
Commission's positive opinion on Croatia's EU membership application,
Van Welsen said.
HDZ secretary for international affairs Bozo Biskupic said at the
ceremony at which the EPP's decision was announced this would give new
impetus to the promotion of European values and the policy which would
lead Croatia into the family of EU member-states.
(Hina) rml