CRO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION MINISTER: GOVT TO DISCUSS TEAM FOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH EU

ZAGREB, Oct 24 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Thursday will discuss the composition of a Croatian negotiation delegation for talks with the European Union on the stabilisation and association agreement, Croatian European Integration Minister Ivan Jakovcic said Tuesday. "I expect the Government to definitely appoint the negotiation team on Thursday and that the structure of the negotiation team would be determined and models of its operation established", Jakovcic said at a press conference held on the occasion of the signing of a financial memorandum on technical help to European Union bodies within the Croatian State Administration. "Regardless of the fact that Croatia does not yet have an appointed negotiation team, and the fact that the appointment is late, the European Integration Ministry, in cooperation with numerous ministries, has been intensively working on the preparation for negotiation platforms. Even though we still do not have a negotiation team, the majority of the job has already been finished so members of the team will have a series of documents for the draft of a final negotiation platform immediately after the appointment", Jakovcic said. Negotiations between Croatia and the European Union on the stabilisation and association should begin during European Union's summit in Zagreb on November 24. It has also been announced that the European Union Council of Ministers would give a mandate to the European commission for the beginning of negotiations with Croatia on November 20. (hina) it