BRUSSELS, Jan 24 (Hina) - The technical part of negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Croatia and the European Union will be held in Brussels on Thursday and tackle the issues of trade, agriculture
and fishing trade. A Croatian delegation will be headed by chief negotiator Neven Mimica, while a delegation of the European Union will be headed by Catherine Day of the European Commission's general directorate for foreign affairs. The negotiations are the continuation of a process initiated in Zagreb in November last year, when Croatia's Prime Minister Ivica Racan and European Commission President Romano Prodi opened negotiations on the SAA. By signing the agreement, Croatia will become an associate European Union member, which is the first formal step toward the final goal - full membership. The negotiating cycle includes three rounds, attended by Croatia's negotiatio
BRUSSELS, Jan 24 (Hina) - The technical part of negotiations on a
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Croatia and
the European Union will be held in Brussels on Thursday and tackle
the issues of trade, agriculture and fishing trade.
A Croatian delegation will be headed by chief negotiator Neven
Mimica, while a delegation of the European Union will be headed by
Catherine Day of the European Commission's general directorate for
foreign affairs.
The negotiations are the continuation of a process initiated in
Zagreb in November last year, when Croatia's Prime Minister Ivica
Racan and European Commission President Romano Prodi opened
negotiations on the SAA. By signing the agreement, Croatia will
become an associate European Union member, which is the first
formal step toward the final goal - full membership.
The negotiating cycle includes three rounds, attended by Croatia's
negotiations team, representatives of the European Commission and
European Union member countries. The first round was held in
Brussels on December 18, 2000, while the second is scheduled to be
held also in Brussels on February 26 and 27.
The third negotiating round will be held in Zagreb in the spring,
however, the exact day will be announced later.
The so-called technical negotiations are being held between the
official negotiations and are only attended by representatives of
Croatia and the European Commission, aiming at the exchange of
experience.
According to the head of Croatia's permanent mission to the
European Union, Vladimir Drobnjak, technical negotiations on
Thursday would be dominated by issues from the fields of trade,
agriculture and fishing trade, as well as other parts of the
agreement which had not been discussed in the first round.
Croatia expects to end negotiations on the SAA in the first half of
the current year. Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh expressed
same optimism on Tuesday before the European Parliament's foreign
affairs committee, adding she expected them to be completed by the
end of Sweden's presidency over the European Union.
The negotiations themselves are the easier part of the job, while
the implementation of the agreed would take several years.
Croatia's chief negotiator Mimica believes the country could be
ready to become a full member in 2006. This, he added, does not mean
Croatia will become a full member in 2006, because it does not
depend exclusively on Croatia.
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