ZAGREB, Dec 17 (Hina) - The European Union will start membership talkswith Croatia in April 2005 if the country proves to be fullycooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the formerYugoslavia (ICTY), read the draft
conclusions of the ongoing EU summitin Brussels as carried by news agencies on Friday morning.
ZAGREB, Dec 17 (Hina) - The European Union will start membership
talks with Croatia in April 2005 if the country proves to be fully cooperating
with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), read
the draft conclusions of the ongoing EU summit in Brussels as carried by news
agencies on Friday morning. AFP reports that the Croatia-EU entry talks will start in April 2005,
and Reuters adds that the EU will seek confirmation of Croatia's full
cooperation with the Hague-based tribunal.
According to Reuters, this is stated in the draft conclusions of EU
leaders who will end their two-day summit today.
The agency also reports that association agreements with Bulgaria and
Romania will be signed next April so that the two countries could join the
25-member community in 2007.