ZAGREB, April 16 (Hina) - The European Integration Ministry has already started preparing answers to the European Commission's questionnaire, which should arrive in June this year, Croatia's European Integration Minister Neven Mimica
told reporters in Zagreb on Wednesday.
ZAGREB, April 16 (Hina) - The European Integration Ministry has
already started preparing answers to the European Commission's
questionnaire, which should arrive in June this year, Croatia's
European Integration Minister Neven Mimica told reporters in
Zagreb on Wednesday. #L#
Mimica spoke about Croatia's future steps on the road to the
European Union following Monday's decision by the EU's Council of
Ministers to entrust the European Commission with evaluating
Croatia's application for EU membership.
The ministry has so far analysed all questionnaires and answers of
EU candidate-countries to speed up the process which is ahead of
Croatia. According to the analyses, the questionnaires contain
3,137 questions related to legislation, institutions, economy and
other issues. Mimica's assistant Tamara Obradovic said 47% of all
questions referred to legislation, while 26% were analytical
questions and those concerning institutions.
Croatia's questionnaire will also contain regulations of the
Amsterdam agreement under which the evaluation of candidate-
countries is also based on their compliance with general European
standards, such as the state of democracy, freedoms and minority
rights.
The ministry has already contacted other ministries so they could
complete their part of the job in answering the questionnaire. The
ministry expects Croatia will be given three months to answer the
questionnaire.
Mimica believes the job will be completed on time and that the EC
could evaluate Croatia's application by April next year. Croatia
hopes it will be able to join the EU in the second expansion round in
2007, he said.
"What is important in the next stage of the process of drawing
closer to the EU is setting up a stable team of negotiators, which
should not change until the end of the talks," Mimica said, hoping
that the composition of the team would not be affected by pre- and
post-election arrangements.
Talks on the team's composition have not started yet, but it should
be formed before summer, he said.
(hina) rml