ZAGREB/ BRUSSELS, May 13 (Hina) - Croatian European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic has said that her country hopes that accession talks with the European Union can begin at the end of 2004 or at the start of 2005, and
that it can be ready for the admission to the Union by 2007.
ZAGREB/ BRUSSELS, May 13 (Hina) - Croatian European Integration
Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic has said that her country hopes that
accession talks with the European Union can begin at the end of 2004
or at the start of 2005, and that it can be ready for the admission to
the Union by 2007.#L#
We would like to begin entry talks as soon as possible, at the of this
year or at the start of next year, Grabar Kitarovic said taking part
in Thursday's round table discussion in Brussels on consequences of
the EU expansion, according to the AFP agency.
In 2007 we can be ready for the entry into the Union, the Croatian
minister said adding that some of ten new EU member-states took two
and a half or three years for negotiations.
She emphasised that Zagreb was determined to meet all conditions for
EU membership by 2007.
"We do not want to exert pressure on the European Commission (with
regard to the admission date) and we do not want to compete with
others," she said alluding to Romania and Bulgaria which are to join
the EU in 2007.
In late April Croatia was given the European Commission's positive
opinion on its application for EU membership, and now Zagreb hopes
that at the EU summit, scheduled to take place in June, a decision
will be made on the date for the beginning of accession talks.
(Hina) ms