As regards the economic criteria for EU membership, the country should reduce the unemployment rate, attract more foreign direct investments, carry out a reform of the state administration, and improve the process of privatisation and restructuring in shipbuilding, agriculture, telecommunications, power market and steel industry.
The European Commission expects some bigger problems in environmental protection and the government, local authorities as well as the private sector are expected to invest more efforts and funds in this sector, she added.
Financial support can be expected from the EU pre-accession funds such as PHARE, ISPA and SEPARD.
In this context, the minister said that it was good that local authorities in Croatia had applied projects, worth some 250 million euros, for PHARE funds in 2005, which would amount to some 80 million euros.