ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan said on Monday he was pleased with the news that the European Commission was about to start defining an evaluation of Croatia's application for European Union candidacy.
ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan said on Monday
he was pleased with the news that the European Commission was about
to start defining an evaluation of Croatia's application for
European Union candidacy. #L#
"It's great news because we all know that the huge majority of our
people treat entry to the Union as the first strategic national
interest," Racan told state radio.
The news binds Croatia not to slacken in terms of its commitments on
the road to the EU, he said, estimating the evaluation procedure
might take a year.
"In case of a positive opinion, which we hope for... Croatia will
formally be a EU candidate, whereby we would catch the last train we
should board so as to be in the Union in 2007."
Without concealing his satisfaction, the PM noted a precedent, i.e.
the fact that less than two months had passed since Croatia had
officially applied for membership and the arrival of the first
positive answer.
Croatia will have to respond very quickly to the many existing open
issues, Racan said, adding the government would have to work full
steam on what he said was a top priority issue.
Croatia must focus on this enormous task "so that we don't miss the
chance before us," he said. "I will have to ask the ministers... not
to participate in the pre-electoral campaign until further
notice."
The work ahead involves some 50 legislative projects which have to
be completed this year, said the PM. Most have to be finished before
parliament is dissolved so that only a few should possibly remain
for November and December, he said.
Asked if the government would complete what it had set out to do in
light of announcements that parliamentary elections might be held
in the autumn, Racan said, "I don't care if we manage to do something
else, but this is a government priority".
(hina) ha