CRO AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO EUROPEAN UNION COUNCIL OF MINISTERS CHAIRMAN

BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (Hina) - Head of Croatia's permanent mission to the European Union Vladimir Drobnjak presented credentials to Swedish chairman of the European Union in Brussels Tuesday. The presentation of credentials of an ambassador to the European Union is special because they are being presented twice - to the president of the European Commission and the current chairman of the Council of Ministers. Ambassador Drobnjak presented credentials to the president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, on November 16, 2000. During the presentation of credentials to the secretary of state in the Swedish Foreign Ministry, Hans Dahlgren, both parties expressed satisfaction about a successful development of negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Croatia and the European Union, Drobnjak told Hina. Dahlgren stressed that countries undergoing the stabilisation and association process were one of the two priorities in foreign policy of the Swedish Presidency over the European Union. The other priority is Near East. "Sweden is optimistic about the development of negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and expects them to be completed during its chairing the European Union in the first half of this year", Drobnjak said. At today's meeting it was confirmed that Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula would arrive in a visit to Brussels on February 27 and hold talks with representatives of the European Troika, Drobnjak added. (Hina) it