President Mesic acquainted his guests with the achieved level of cooperation between Croatia and the Hague war crimes tribunal, reiterating decidedly that what Croatia was doing it was doing for its own sake and not due to pressure by the international community.
Members of the delegation were also interested in the situation in the region, making it clear that once it joined the EU, Croatia would not be able to distance itself from its neighbours, the statement said.
The European parliamentarians stressed the importance of political changes which happened in Croatia in 2000, saying President Mesic deserved credit for his role in those changes.
The delegation consisted of Hannes Swoboda, rapporteur for Croatia and vice-president of the European Parliament's Socialist Group, Jan Marinus Wiersma, vice-president of the European Parliament's Socialist Group, political secretary Rob van de Water, and Zoran Milanovic, chairman of the council for international relations, the statement said.