Swoboda is visiting Croatia for the first time in his capacity as permanent rapporteur for Croatia. Expressing satisfaction with this fact, Seks informed Swoboda of the appointment of 15 Croatian MPs and their deputies to a joint parliamentary committee of the Croatian and European Parliaments.
He said the Croatian parliament had intensified activities aimed at defining its role in negotiations with the EU and continued to work on the adjustment of Croatia's legislation to European standards, based on the national programme of joining the EU, the statement said.
The Croatian Parliament president expressed hope that the date of the start of Croatia's EU entry talks would be set by year's end and that negotiations would be launched in early spring 2005. He said Croatia planned to meet all membership criteria by 2007 so as to be ready for admission, the statement said.
Swoboda said that by appointing a rapporteur for Croatia the EU showed that it was opened to Croatia's admission to its membership, which was also the recognition of the work of the Croatian government and parliament, the statement said.
Swoboda, the European Parliament deputy whose task is to draw up a report on Croatia's progress, said that the European Parliament was favourably inclined towards Croatia. He added, however, that the general attitude as regards further EU enlargement was somewhat less favourable.
Swoboda said he believed Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia would join the EU together in 2008, the statement said.
In separate meetings with the EU official, Mimica and Jandrokovic voiced optimism regarding the solving of outstanding issues with Slovenia, either through bilateral negotiations or arbitration. They said Croatia aspired to good relations with Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina and that it cooperated with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
At the meeting with Swoboda, Pusic said Croatia still had to harmonise national legislation with the EU standards.
Commenting on preparations for the start of negotiations with the European Commission, Pusic said Croatia would make efforts to form teams of experts in many fields who would help the Government in the pre-accession period, the parliament's public relations office said in the statement.