ZAGREB, Nov 23 (Hina) - According to announcements, Croatia will insist on the inclusion of a so-called evolution clause in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). The clause has received frequent mention ahead of the
beginning of Croatia-EU negotiations on the SAA, set for Friday's Zagreb Summit. But what is the evolution clause? According to Boris Hajos, spokesman for the Ministry of European Integration, the evolution clause is a political catch which is important, albeit not too much. It is a formulation in the SAA stating that a country's ultimate goal is full membership in the European Union, obviously once it has fulfilled all conditions set by the EU, he said on Thursday. The clause was a standard provision in the SAA the EU signed in the past with 12 candidates, for instance the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, or Slovenia. It was, however, absent from the SAA when negotiati
ZAGREB, Nov 23 (Hina) - According to announcements, Croatia will
insist on the inclusion of a so-called evolution clause in the
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). The clause has
received frequent mention ahead of the beginning of Croatia-EU
negotiations on the SAA, set for Friday's Zagreb Summit.
But what is the evolution clause?
According to Boris Hajos, spokesman for the Ministry of European
Integration, the evolution clause is a political catch which is
important, albeit not too much. It is a formulation in the SAA
stating that a country's ultimate goal is full membership in the
European Union, obviously once it has fulfilled all conditions set
by the EU, he said on Thursday.
The clause was a standard provision in the SAA the EU signed in the
past with 12 candidates, for instance the Czech Republic, Poland,
Hungary, or Slovenia.
It was, however, absent from the SAA when negotiations began with
Macedonia this year. Macedonia recently insisted on having the
evolution clause reinstated in the SAA, and Croatia will follow
suit.
The clause does not bind the EU to actually consent to full
membership of a candidate even if the country has met all
conditions. It would, however, give Croatia a certain degree of
security that the EU "has taken note of" the fact that our ultimate
goal is full membership, said Hajos.
Croatia's chief negotiator on the SAA Neven Mimica has recently
said that the evolution clause will definitely be included in
Croatia's SAA and that it is very important how it will be
designated, namely if it will clearly and unambiguously point to
Croatia's prospect for full membership in the EU.
"We shall advocate that the clause give Croatia prospect to become a
candidate for full membership in the EU as soon as possible," Mimica
has said.
Even if the clause is not included in the SAA, it does not mean that
Croatia cannot become a full member. It would, however, make the SAA
stronger, former Foreign Minister Mate Granic has said.
(hina) ha jn