EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WELCOMES CROATIA'S EU CANDIDACY

ZAGREB, April 10 (Hina) - The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted a resolution on the current process of enlargement of the European Union, welcoming Croatia's application for EU membership and voicing confidence that the country's move would contribute to consolidating peace and stability in South-East Europe, the Croatian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. #L# The ministry welcomed the fact that Croatia's application for EU membership was included in the resolution and considers it yet another sign of support for the country's integration in the EU. The Parliament passed the resolution on the completion of negotiations on the EU enlargement in Copenhagen and formally consented to the admission of ten EU candidate-countries. It also voiced hope that Croatia would make concrete steps to meet the Copenhagen criteria and called on the Croatian authorities to fully cooperate with the U.N. Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the ministry said in the statement. The resolution also notes that all countries of the Western Balkans have European prospects and the status of potential EU candidates, the ministry says. The European Parliament expects that the future EU Presidencies will continue stepping up cooperation with countries covered by the Stabilisation and Association Process in order to promote, as much as possible, their political and economic integration into Europe. (hina) rml