ZAGREB, Nov 13 (Hina) - Croatia should not wait for other countries in the region on its path to the European Union, and its application will be judged individually, EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said in Zagreb on
Thursday.
ZAGREB, Nov 13 (Hina) - Croatia should not wait for other countries
in the region on its path to the European Union, and its application
will be judged individually, EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter
Verheugen said in Zagreb on Thursday. #L#
We do not have any specific dates for Croatia. The date of entry will
depend on your own efforts and the job done, Verheugen said in a
lecture on Croatia's EU prospects at the Opera hotel in Zagreb.
Noting that Croatia had missed the first train to the EU "for well-
known reasons", Verheugen said that the European Commission had a
special train for Croatia.
After the present round of enlargement, we have no plans for a new
round. But Croatia does not have to wait for the last country in the
region to be ready for membership, he stressed.
Verheugen said that Croatia should not tie itself to the deadlines
set for Romania and Bulgaria, which are expected to enter the EU in
2007.
Citing the example of Greece, the EU commissioner said that the EU
had already demonstrated that it could organise a country's entry
on an individual basis.
Speaking of the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Croatia,
Verheugen said that the European Commission would cooperate with
any democratically elected government that would continue
fulfilling the EU membership criteria.
The new government will immediately have to start dealing with the
remaining issues of importance to Croatia's membership bid --
cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal, regional
cooperation and the return of refugees, he said.
Verheugen said that the success of Croatia's efforts to join the EU
would encourage other countries in the Western Balkans to meet the
criteria for full membership in the EU.
Changes must come from within. The key word is self-confidence and
the ability to break with the past and turn to the future, Verheugen
said.
Verheugen expressed hope that the European Commission would give a
positive opinion of the Croatian application next June.
(hina) vm