Two months ago, the government appointed Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul head of the negotiating team and European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic chief Croatian negotiator.
The position of the parliamentary opposition parties on the choice of main negotiators will be announced at the next meeting scheduled for January 5. The names of 12 team leaders will also be announced then.
Participants in today's meeting agreed that the chief negotiator should be a professional whose position should not depend on the result of elections.
A special working group consisting of one representative of each party will draft a joint resolution on Croatia's accession to the European Union, which will be sent to the parliament for discussion.
Sanader said that an agreement was reached with the party leaders to set up a national committee that would be in charge of overseeing the membership talks with the EU.
The committee will consist of the same number of members of the parliamentary majority and the opposition, including the heads of parliamentary committee for foreign affairs, European Integration and inter-parliamentary cooperation, and representatives of trade unions, employers and the academic community.
"My proposal is that the head of the committee should be from the opposition ranks," Sanader said.
It was also agreed that the government would report to the parliament on the negotiating process at least twice a year.
Leading opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) chairman Ivica Racan agreed with Sanader that Croatia's accession to the EU was a national project requiring the involvement of all political parties.
Racan said that all the parties should organise themselves the best they can to help Croatia defend its interests and "enter the EU as soon as possible and pay the lowest possible price".