ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - The development of economy and democracy are the fundamental conditions for approaching the European Union (EU), to which all Croatian political factors aspire without exception, the leader of a German
Bundestag delegation told reporters in Zagreb on Thursday at the end of a four-day visit to Croatia.
ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - The development of economy and democracy
are the fundamental conditions for approaching the European Union
(EU), to which all Croatian political factors aspire without
exception, the leader of a German Bundestag delegation told
reporters in Zagreb on Thursday at the end of a four-day visit to
Croatia.#L#
The German parliamentary delegation included Social Democrat Georg
Pfannenstein, Christian Democrat Klaus Willsch, and reformed
Communist Manfred Mueller.
"The common thread during talks with representatives of the ruling
and all opposition parties has been the wish for Croatia to approach
the EU," Pfannenstein told the press.
He explained Germany does not decide independently and is not the
only one in charge of the process of Croatia's accessing the EU, but
pointed out Germany's word "is worth a lot".
Speaking of Croatian-German friendship, Pfannenstein said that
because of the "traditional and good relations between the two
countries, it is important that Zagreb see in Germany a mentor and a
partner."
He pointed out the most important criteria for a country candidate
for joining the EU were the development of democracy and economy.
Declining to speak of his evaluation of the visit upon returning to
Germany, Pfannenstein said "the delegation's disposition to
Croatia is friendly, which doesn't mean that it won't be critical as
well."
The delegation recommended that Croatia should choose the model of
small and medium entrepreneurship as the foundation of a successful
development.
Speaking about the visit to Vukovar, the eastern Croatian town
which suffered the most damage during the Serb aggression on
Croatia earlier this decade, Pfannenstein said he noticed "only a
marginal improvement." "It will take a lot of time for the area to
return to the pre-war level," he asserted.
Also present at the press conference was Bruno Uroic, member of the
Croatian Parliament's Committee for Interparliamentary
Cooperation, who said the Bundestag delegation called on the
Committee to visit Germany.
Also attending were Croatian Ambassador to Germany Zoran Jasic and
German Ambassador to Croatia Volker Haak.
(hina) ha