A Declaration adopted at the end of the Joint Parliamentary Committee's fifth meeting in Zagreb strongly supported Croatia's efforts "to move towards full membership to the European Union".
The Declaration highlighted the "remarkably good preparation of Croatian negotiators and officials involved in the accession negotiations", but also pointed out that much more had to be done in judicial and state administration reform and the fight against corruption.
A contentious item of the final document was the 24th, which suggested that Croatian-Slovene outstanding border issues should be settled by all legal means, including arbitration.
After Borut Pahor, a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee and Slovenia's member of the European Parliament, submitted an amendment to the contentious item, it was decided that it be eliminated from the Declaration which was eventually adopted by consensus.
Committee co-chairman Gordan Jandrokovic of Croatia told the press that the Joint Parliamentary Committee "was and remains the central instrument on Croatia's road to the Union".
Regarding the Declaration, which also contains recommendations to Zagreb for the continuation of accession negotiations, Jandrokovic said it showed that Croatia was proceeding to the EU at a quick pace.
The other Committee co-chairman, Pal Schmitt of the European Parliament, said Croatia was a stabilising factor in the Western Balkans and that all outstanding issues with neighbours should be settled accordingly.
He underlined that Croatian media must do more to increase public support for EU accession.
During his two-day stay in Zagreb, Schmitt met President Stjepan Mesic and visited the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime.