"Contrary to what can be read and what is being stated here and there, France is advocating as swift as possible entry of Croatia to the European Union. We have only one goal: to see to it that Croatia become the 28th EU member as soon as possible," Spokesman Bernard Valero said at a regular news briefing in the French foreign ministry on Wednesday.
According to the transcript of the press briefing, the spokesman was answering the question: "What exactly is France's position on the matter of Croatia's entry into the European Union".
He added that Paris "has formulated a series of very concrete proposals" so as to support Croatia's integration and the credibility of the process.
Last Monday, the French minister for European affairs, Laurent Wauquiez, denied allegations that his country had proposed the monitoring of Croatia upon its entry into the European bloc.
France's proposal for the establishment of a mechanism for monitoring the meeting of commitments assumed in the accession negotiations from the completion of the entry talks to accession to the EU is aimed at helping Croatia, which will be the EU's 28th member and a successful enlargement story, Wauquiez told reporters in Brussels.
France is proposing a monitoring programme in the period between the completion of the negotiations and actual accession, said the minister, who was representing France in an informal discussion on Croatia in Brussels on Monday night.