"I would like Slovenia to ratify the agreement by Christmas, but of course this is not up to me. However, we expect another nine ratifications in EU member states to be completed by the New Year, which means that six ratifications would be left for 2013," Pusic said in the interview for the weekly which hit newsstands on Friday, ahead of her visit to Slovenia, where she is expected to attend the Bled Strategic Forum. At this international event, Pusic is expected to hold talks with her Slovenian counterpart Karl Erjavec.
Pusic said that based on the talks she held with her European counterparts, the process of ratification of Croatia's EU Accession Treaty was expected to be wrapped up in time so that the country could join the bloc on 1 July 2013.
So far the treaty has been ratified by 12 EU members, Pusic said.
"Nobody, not even Great Britain, sees a relevant political power which could resist or oppose Croatia's EU membership," Pusic said.
Commenting on different positions on the Ljubljanska Banka issue, Pusic said this could not be a "rational reason" for blocking Croatia's ratification.
She declined to comment on the issue in detail, saying that the two countries' experts were discussing the matter and trying to find a solution. She, however, reiterated that the incumbent Croatian government's position on the issue was exactly the same as of the previous Jadranka Kosor-led government.