ZAGREB, Dec 8 (Hina) - Croatia should submit a request for full membership in the European Union by the end of 2003, in order to gain a status of official candidate for joining the organisation by 2004, Croatian European Integration
Minister Neven Mimica said on Saturday. Mimica spoke at a session of the European Movement Croatia called "Traps and Challenges of the Implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU". He said that after the completion of the first round of joining in 2004, the European Union will discuss the continuation of the process for the other countries and future candidates. According to him, Croatia should submit its request for membership by the end of 2003. According to assessments, Croatia could fulfil its obligations from the Stabilisation and Association Agreement by the end of 2003. "Fulfilling the obligations from the SAA will be the most important
ZAGREB, Dec 8 (Hina) - Croatia should submit a request for full
membership in the European Union by the end of 2003, in order to gain
a status of official candidate for joining the organisation by
2004, Croatian European Integration Minister Neven Mimica said on
Saturday.
Mimica spoke at a session of the European Movement Croatia called
"Traps and Challenges of the Implementation of the Stabilisation
and Association Agreement with the EU". He said that after the
completion of the first round of joining in 2004, the European Union
will discuss the continuation of the process for the other
countries and future candidates. According to him, Croatia should
submit its request for membership by the end of 2003.
According to assessments, Croatia could fulfil its obligations
from the Stabilisation and Association Agreement by the end of
2003.
"Fulfilling the obligations from the SAA will be the most important
criterion for progressing towards full membership in the European
Union," Mimica stressed.
Croatian Ambassador to the European Union in Brussels Vladimir
Drobnjak said of all candidates included in the stabilisation and
association process, Croatia had made the best progress in drawing
closer to the European Union.
Drobnjak stressed that the process of drawing closer to the
European Union had been individualised, and added that European
Commissioner for External Affairs confirmed that last months.
Patten said that each country was "travelling" to Brussels at its
own pace. "It is absolutely certain that the SAA leads Croatia to
Europe and not the Balkans," Drobnjak said.
The chairman of the Croatian parliament committee for European
Iintegration and the president of the Opposition's Democratic
Centre (DC), Mate Granic, said the SAA was Croatia's first real step
toward institutional connecting with the European Union.
"The agreement is not optimal, it has defects, but it is very
important. It needs to be signed and ratified," Granic said.
The Secretary General of the European Movement Croatia, Ljubo
Cucic, said the credit goes to Mimica, Drobnjak and Granic for
Croatia's successful conclusion of the negotiations and the
signing of the SAA.
(hina) it sb