"The standards which are in force in the EU and which are a precondition for EU membership will be a step forward both for Croatia and countries in the region," said Zoran Pusic of GOLJP, who announced the conference with the head of the OSCE mission to Croatia, Peter Semneby, one of the speakers at the conference.
Croatia has made a concrete step towards EU membership and it is a strong signal to other countries in the region that their future lies in Europe, Semneby said.
The conference offers a great opportunity but it also binds Croatia to share its experience with other countries in the region and help them in their efforts to join European integration processes, he added.
Croatia and countries in the region stand a chance of finding their place in Europe, Semneby said.
Pusic said that the purpose of the conference was to influence public opinion in Croatia, as well as in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro.
"The most important thing for us is that integration with the EU guarantees national security and absence of wars, and that it represents a challenge in all other areas," Pusic said.
The conference will be attended, among others, by the presidents of Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Pusic said this was the first time the heads of state accepted an invitation to attend a conference organised by an NGO.
The conference will end with the adoption of a declaration which will encompass concrete problems as well as statements in principle about the importance and usefulness of the adoption of EU standards.