"Accession negotiations with Croatia have reached their final stage. The ongoing examination of the remaining negotiating chapters by the Council is being conducted in full respect of strict conditionality and in line with the negotiating framework. In the light of the progress made and the Commission's positive assessment, the European Council calls for the conclusion of the accession negotiations with Croatia by the end of June 2011 on the basis of the draft common positions recently presented by the Commission, with a view to the signing of the Accession Treaty before the end of the year," reads the latest draft conclusion.
According to the draft, these developments bring "a new momentum to the European perspective of the Western Balkans."
The European Council will return to this matter at its December 2011 meeting.