ZAGREB, May 3 (Hina) - Croatia is making faster and better progress than other countries in the region and is therefore responsible for helping them along the road to European Union membership, European Commission President Romano
Prodi has said in Brussels in an interview with Croatian Television broadcast on Monday night.
ZAGREB, May 3 (Hina) - Croatia is making faster and better progress
than other countries in the region and is therefore responsible for
helping them along the road to European Union membership, European
Commission President Romano Prodi has said in Brussels in an interview
with Croatian Television broadcast on Monday night.#L#
Prodi said he had told Slovenia, when it started entry talks with the
EU, that its task was also to pave the way for Croatia's admission.
"I am telling you the same because of Macedonia and other Balkan
countries. It is a project marking the beginning of a new era," the
European Commission President said.
Prodi said he was pleased with the positive opinion of the European
Commission on Croatia's EU membership application "because the first
step is always the hardest". "I think that working together, we will
achieve results soon. I am happy that we have already taken further
steps by which we will facilitate Croatia's entry into the EU," he
added.
"In the avis, we do not say that Croatia has done all. It did what it
could in a given period" and should continue along the same road,
Prodi said, adding that this included cooperation with the Hague war
crimes tribunal and neighbouring countries and the completion of
ongoing reforms, especially in the judiciary.
Asked when he expected the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
between Croatia and the EU to be ratified by Britain, the Netherlands
and Italy, Prodi said he could not talk about decisions of individual
EU member states because they make their own decisions independently.
"The main obstacle to the agreement not having been ratified by now
was Croatia's cooperation with the Hague tribunal, so that the
European Commission had asked the tribunal for its opinion before
issuing the avis. The tribunal's opinion was positive and that's why I
think that these three members will make a positive decision," Prodi
said, expressing confidence there would be no new demands towards
Croatia.
The European Commission President did not consider the protected
fishing and ecological zone declared by Croatia in the Adriatic Sea as
a major problem, saying that it could be settled through negotiations
and a compromise.
"To tell you the truth, I do not consider that a major problem. A
compromise should be found in order to resolve it, because even a
small problem can do great damage, and that is not a good political
choice," Prodi said.
"Negotiations should be held before a decision is reached. Everything
should be done in order to make a settlement possible. We only expect
that you do not make unilateral decisions," Prodi said in response to
the question whether he expected Croatia to postpone the
implementation of the decision on the protected zone in the Adriatic.
(Hina) vm