The discussion involved Croatian European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, her counterparts from Albania, Bulgaria and Romania, and Stability Pact Coordinator Erhard Busek, Croatian European Integration Ministry spokeswoman Ivana Grgic told Hina by telephone.
The subject of the panel was "Southeast European countries and the European Union - How to accelerate the path to membership?".
"The conclusion of the panel was that the EU will not stop the enlargement process until the countries of Southeast Europe join in," Grgic said.
Grabar-Kitarovic spoke of ways of speeding up the integration with the EU not just of Croatia, but of the entire Southeast of Europe. She talked about the CARDS programme and Croatia's expectations from EU pre-accession funds, the details of which will be known in October, the spokeswoman said.
Grabar-Kitarovic, who was appointed chief negotiator with the European Union on Thursday, also underlined the importance of regional cooperation and exchange of experience "because that is exactly what will make us all more successful on the path to the EU," she was quoted by Grgic as saying.
The Croatian minister informed the participants of the steps her country was taking on the road to the European Union and its preparations for screening and membership talks. She said that Croatia wanted to be ready for membership by 2007 and that it was up to the EU when Croatia would be admitted as a full member.