VIENNA, May 7 (Hina) - Croatia will be ready to enter the European Union in 2007, Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul said at the Vienna Diplomatic Academy on Friday.
VIENNA, May 7 (Hina) - Croatia will be ready to enter the European
Union in 2007, Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul said at the Vienna
Diplomatic Academy on Friday.#L#
Addressing a seminar entitled "EU Enlargement: Romania, Bulgaria,
Croatia", Zuzul spoke about the current situation in Croatia, its
development and prospects. He voiced confidence the European Council
would grant Croatia candidate status in mid-June and set the date of
accession negotiations.
Zuzul also voiced confidence that other countries in the region too
would become part of the EU "regardless of dates, since the EU is the
family of all European peoples and will not be complete without all of
its parts, notably Southeast Europe".
Zuzul stressed that Croatia wanted to play a positive role in the
region, be a model for other countries as well as a factor of
stability in the region.
He added Croatia had a relatively sound and stable economy which was
developing.
The seminar was organised by the Vienna Diplomatic Academy, the
Salzburg Herbert-Batliner Institute for European Affairs and the
Vienna Renner Institute.
When compared to other countries, particularly the EU's 10 new members
as well as candidates Romania and Bulgaria, Croatia is in the upper
echelon, it was said.
In this respect, Minister Zuzul said one must not forget that those
countries had had the opportunity to use EU funds. "Despite the war
and the problems it entailed, and without using any funds, Croatia
succeeded in keeping at approximately the same level as those
countries. I think this gives us the right to be optimistic about
Croatia's future progress."
The special coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern
Europe, Erhard Busek, said Croatia was on a good path and that the
recently obtained positive opinion on its EU membership application
was a big step forward. He added it was up to Croatia how and when it
would adjust to EU standards.
Hermine Winberger-Vidovic of the Vienna Institute for International
Economic Settlement and Research said Croatia's economic development
was on the level of some Baltic countries and much better than
Bulgaria's. She added, however, that the industry and exports were
poor, and that unemployment was high.
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