ZAGREB, Oct 9 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan will be told in Brussels that Croatia could start negotiations on EU membership next year, if it improves its cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague and
facilitates the process of refugee return, the European commissioner for EU enlargement, Guenter Verheugen said in an interview with The Financial Times of Thursday.
ZAGREB, Oct 9 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan will be
told in Brussels that Croatia could start negotiations on EU
membership next year, if it improves its cooperation with the UN war
crimes tribunal in The Hague and facilitates the process of refugee
return, the European commissioner for EU enlargement, Guenter
Verheugen said in an interview with The Financial Times of
Thursday. #L#
Racan will be told that Croatia has a realistic chance to become an
EU member if it improves its cooperation with The Hague and steps up
refugee returns, Verheugen said. A positive decision on the start
of negotiations could be adopted at the EU summit in June 2004.
However, admission criteria will have to be met first, which
particularly refers to cooperation with the UN tribunal and the
return of Serb refugees.
Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan is on a one-day visit to
Brussels, where he is to hand Croatia's answers to the EC
questionnaire to EC President Romano Prodi.
Croatia should be told that it will not have to wait for other
countries in the region to achieve its level of readiness,
Verheugen stressed.
The EC official believes that Croatia's membership in the EU would
send a strong signal to Serbia and other countries of the Western
Balkans that democratic reforms will be rewarded.
It is also noted in the article in The Financial Times that
Verheugen's statements improve Croatia's chance of becoming an EU
member in 2008, a year after Bulgaria and Romania.
(hina) rml