"Economic and ethnic issues are still the focus of interest (of other Western Balkan countries), unlike in Croatia, which in its process of negotiations and integration with the EU is dealing increasingly with issues of a technical nature," Gordan Jandrokovic, the chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, said at a regular meeting of his counterparts from EU member countries, accession candidate states, and Western Balkan countries.
The two-day event ended with a confirmation that every country in the region had European prospects.
During a debate, Croatia was singled out as the only country in the region which had moved far ahead in political and economic development as well as in EU entry negotiations.
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik reiterated that the EU had vowed at its Thessaloniki summit that the Western Balkans would have European prospects.
She advocated strengthening regional cooperation, notably by creating a free trade zone based on the enlargement of the Central European Free Trade Agreement, which she added would be addressed at a Bucharest summit on April 6.