ZAGREB, May 10 (Hina) - The Croatian government accepted the text of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union at a session on Thursday. The government also decided that Foreign Minister Tonino Picula,
who is heading a state delegation for negotiations with the EU, would initial the SAA in Brussels on May 14.
ZAGREB, May 10 (Hina) - The Croatian government accepted the text of
a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European
Union at a session on Thursday.
The government also decided that Foreign Minister Tonino Picula,
who is heading a state delegation for negotiations with the EU,
would initial the SAA in Brussels on May 14. #L#
Along with the text of the SAA, the government adopted a statement
regarding the preamble and Article 1 of the SAA which states that EU
membership is Croatia's ultimate strategic goal and that Croatia
holds the SAA a fundamental instrument in attaining that goal.
Croatia's chief negotiator with the EU, Neven Mimica, said at the
session that the EU did not accept Croatia's amendment to the SAA
preamble which read that the SAA facilitated the accomplishment of
Croatia's goal to become an EU member. Mimica therefore suggested
that the government adopt a statement which would unambiguously
state what Croatia expected from its signing the SAA.
Mimica said EU negotiators had incorporated into the SAA preamble
Croatia's reference to the Zagreb Summit, which implicitly
confirmed individual assessment of countries aspiring to join the
EU and stressed the need for regional cooperation, however, only
through bilateral agreements.
The preamble also includes a so-called evolution clause which
confirms Croatia's status as a potential candidate for EU
membership.
The last official round of talks between Croatia and the European
Union at which the two sides should confirm the agreed text of the
SAA will be held in Zagreb on Friday.
Submitting his report on the negotiations, Mimica reminded that the
two sides had reached agreement on the part of the SAA regulating
trade relations, foreign ownership of real estate in Croatia and
the transitional period for the application of the SAA.
"As regards the trade regulations, I believe that balance has been
achieved between the dynamics of liberalisation of the Croatian
market and the protection of Croatian products. As regards real
estate, we have discussed simplifying the administrative procedure
for foreign nationals, so that the current principle of reciprocity
will be abandoned in a transitional period of four years, and we
will keep a list of the real estate which is excluded from sale and
which includes national parks, farming land, maritime resources
and the like. The transitional period for the start of the
application of the entire SAA has been set at six years and it is
even shorter in some areas of market liberalisation and legislative
adjustment - between three and five years from the day the SAA goes
into force, Mimica told the session.
In a debate on the SAA, Prime Minister Ivica Racan and government
members stressed the importance of this agreement and the drawing
up of a strategy on its application. It was also pointed to the
advantages of the European market for Croatia's economy as well as
to the fact that the growing pressure of EU competition would
encourage but also jeopardise domestic agricultural producers,
which was why, it was said, agricultural reforms should continue.
(hina) sb rml