VIENNA, Dec 4 (Hina) - Croatia intends to submit an official application for accession to the European Union in the first half of 2003 and has hope that during 2004 it will commence negotiations for membership, Croatian European
Integration Minister Neven Mimica said on Wednesday at the "Croatia Day" presentation at the Faculty of Economics in Vienna.
VIENNA, Dec 4 (Hina) - Croatia intends to submit an official
application for accession to the European Union in the first half of
2003 and has hope that during 2004 it will commence negotiations for
membership, Croatian European Integration Minister Neven Mimica
said on Wednesday at the "Croatia Day" presentation at the Faculty
of Economics in Vienna. #L#
"Croatia estimates that by 2006 it will fulfil all the conditions
from the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) as well as
well as those usually expected from any country candidate with open
negotiations for membership," Mimica said. Also important will be
Union's decision for expansion following expansion, because
Croatia intends to be included in that second wave of the expansion,
Minister Mimica added.
Mimica said amongst else that Croatia had fulfilled almost 50
percent of the 370 political, legislative and economic measures
imposed through the SAA.
He stressed that Croatia was on the right path to fill political
criteria set by the EU (the democratisation of the media, the
protection of minority rights, cooperation with the Hague-based
war crimes tribunal, refugee returns and reforms in the
judiciary).
(hina) sp it sb