PARL. COMMITTEES: CONSENSUS ON CANDIDACY FOR EU NECESSARY

ZAGREB, Dec 17 (Hina) - It is important that the parliament supports Croatia's candidacy for European Union membership by consensus in order for Croatia to be accepted as a credible candidate at the EU summit in Salonika in June 2003, it was said at a joint session of the parliamentary committees for foreign affairs and European integration on Tuesday. #L# Members of the committees also agree that Croatia should submit a formal application to join the EU in February 2003. "We believe that a resolution on Croatia's joining the EU should be passed in parliament by consensus. This has been done by other EU candidate countries and now it is time for us to do the same," the chairman of the European Integration Committee, Mate Granic, said. Granic reminded that the next two EU summits would be held in Greece and Italy, the two countries to take over the EU chairmanship in 2003. "If we fail to receive candidacy at those two summits then we don't stand a chance to join Romania and Bulgaria which, unlike Croatia, were promised that they would be invited to join the EU by 2007," Granic said. The vice chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and leader of the strongest Opposition party, Ivo Sanader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), supported the plan that Croatia submits its candidacy in the first half of 2003 and added that one should not collect political points based on consensus on joining the EU. "The HDZ's standpoint is that Croatia, insisting on an individual approach, should not abandon an obligation to help the stabilisation of the neighbouring region, the Balkans, because this is in our interest as well," Sanader said. "But we are abandoning the status of a hostage," the HDZ leader said. Introduction speeches about Croatia's candidacy for EU membership and a draft national programme for associating with the EU were given by European Integration Minister Neven Mimica and Assistant Foreign Minister Mario Nobilo. (hina) it sb