ZAGREB, May 28 (Hina) - Croatia expects next month's summit of the EU and South-eastern European countries in Salonika to resemble the 1993 EU summit in Copenhagen, when admission criteria for ten new members were defined, European
Integration Minister Neven Mimica said on Wednesday.
ZAGREB, May 28 (Hina) - Croatia expects next month's summit of the
EU and South-eastern European countries in Salonika to resemble the
1993 EU summit in Copenhagen, when admission criteria for ten new
members were defined, European Integration Minister Neven Mimica
said on Wednesday. #L#
Mimica addressed an international conference on the EU's policy
towards Croatia ahead of the Salonika Summit, organised by Zagreb's
Institute for International Relations and the European Commission
Delegation to Croatia.
Speaking about the country's expectations from the summit, Mimica
said the EU should provide a clear European prospect for all five
South-eastern European countries covered by the Stabilisation and
Association process (SAp), while the countries of the region should
express their readiness to implement the necessary reforms.
Croatia also expects the adoption of concrete measures of the EU's
assistance to countries in the region in implementing those
reforms.
The minister said he was confident that Croatia would meet all of
the requirements by the end of 2006, so that it could enter the EU in
2007 together with Rumania and Bulgaria. He also stressed that the
date of entry was not the most important issue and did not depend
solely on Croatia, but also on the EU's readiness.
"The only way Croatia can influence the date of entry is by meeting
the necessary criteria. Membership will come about as a result of
achieved standards," Mimica said, adding that the requested
reforms should not be viewed as pressure by the EU, but as a means to
provide a better life for Croatian citizens.
As a special envoy of the Croatian president who was supposed to
open the conference, but was prevented by other obligations, Mimica
read President Stjepan Mesic's message to the participants in the
conference.
Mesic voiced conviction that the EU would confirm its policy of open
doors in Salonika and that Croatia stood chance of joining the Union
in 2007.
The European Commission's External Relations Directorate-General
deputy director, Michael Leigh, informed participants in the
conference about the EC's latest proposal for the Salonika Summit.
He said the Commission had incorporated into its recently published
proposal on the EU's policy towards SAp countries elements which
had proven successful in the enlargement process.
Leigh said that the fulfilment of political conditions would be
crucial for the EC's assessment of Croatia's membership
application.
The EC will next month send Croatia a questionnaire with some 3,000
questions. Based on replies to those questions and other sources,
the EC will define its opinion on Croatia's candidacy. The deadline
for the government to respond to the questions is three months.
The EC is expected to complete its evaluation in the first half of
2004.
The head of the European Parliament's delegation for South-eastern
Europe, Doris Pack, said Croatia should stick to Europe's policy
with regard to the American request for the signing of a bilateral
agreement on the non-extradition of U.S. citizens to the
International Criminal Court.
It is difficult to understand and it is unfair of the biggest world
power to ask this of such a small country. Croatians want to be
citizens of Europe, Pack said, urging Croatia to stick to this
plan.
The director of the influential European Stability Initiative,
Gerald Knaus, suggested that the EU incorporate into its strategy
towards S-E Europe elements of a cohesive policy, which had proven
successful in decreasing differences in the development of EU
regions.
(hina) lml sb