At a one-day international conference on Croatia's EU membership in the Union in Zagreb, Mirel said that 9 May was marked as Europe Day in tribute to Robert Schuman, who 56 years ago presented his vision of a united Europe while he was the foreign minister of France.
The enlargement of the European Union has sealed the joining of the European East and West, Mirel said.
The process of the European unification cannot be completed without Croatia's full membership as well as the membership of other western Balkan countries, he added.
The EC official said that the last wave of the Union's enlargement showed that fears about losing national identities in the new members or about their insufficient preparedness to compete with old members were groundless.
Mirel, however, wondered why this process of the historic importance was losing the public support in the EU members.
He offered three reasons for this situation.
According to him, political leaders of the Union have failed to explain their decisions to a wide public, the European Constitution was rejected at the referendums in France and the Netherlands, and the public has got an impression that globalisation produced negative effects.
Mirel also offered solutions to the EU how to address these problems.
The Union should consolidate the enlargement agenda, sticking to the commitments it has already assumed, he said. It must apply a firm policy of requirements which candidates should meet and offer them a clear perspective for full membership, Mirel added. The bloc has to establish better communication with the public inside the Union and convince them to be in favour of the further enlargement, Mirel stressed.
Croatia is now in the process of negotiating its membership, he said. These, however, are not negotiations but efforts to reach agreement on a pace and models for accepting the European legislation, which cannot be a topic of negotiations, he explained.
It will not be easy to adjust to EU laws, but we know that in Croatia it will be better after the country becomes a member of the European family, he said.
Mirel commended Croatia's great headway on the political and economic fronts, adding that a lot of work remained to be done.
The negotiations are going on and our aim remains Croatia's full membership, Mirel said at the end of his speech, adding that Croatia would enrich the EU by its tradition and uniqueness.