VIENNA, Nov 11 (Hina) - It is ludicrous that the European Union should equally treat Croatia and Macedonia and Albania when Croatia is economically more developed and a traditional European country, Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang
Schuessel said in Vienna on Thursday, reminding Croatia had also been denied access to the PHARE programme.
VIENNA, Nov 11 (Hina) - It is ludicrous that the European Union
should equally treat Croatia and Macedonia and Albania when Croatia
is economically more developed and a traditional European country,
Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schuessel said in Vienna on
Thursday, reminding Croatia had also been denied access to the
PHARE programme.#L#
Schuessel was addressing the Fifth International Financial and
Economic Forum, a two-day conference which closes today. The
conference gathered more than 1,000 participants from countries
all over Europe and international financial institutions. Also in
attendance was Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa.
Schuessel said Croatia did have certain problems with democracy,
freedom of the media, and the return of refugees, but pointed out it
did not deserve to be placed in the same category as Bosnia-
Herzegovina and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
The Austrian foreign minister said it was unfair and a weakness in
the EU expansion policy.
Commenting on the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, Schuessel
said that although it was adopted in August, not one of its projects
had begun realisation.
He added the EU needed a more flexible and imaginative approach to
expansion.
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