"We see the remarks and recommendations made in the report as an encouragement to us to implement the necessary political, economic and administrative reforms for achieving full membership in the EU," he said after the report was presented before the Committee by the head of the European Commission Delegation to Croatia, Vincent Degert.
The overall impression of the report is very good, Degert said. It is good in that the Commission has assessed the progress and good points achieved by Croatia over the past year, he added.
Degert said that Croatia was in a different position ever since it was awarded candidate status, and that the EU was putting different requirements and wanted concrete action from Croatia.
He said that Croatia should step up reform in three key areas -- public administration, the judiciary and combating corruption.
Asked by a reporter if the EU would get involved in resolving border disputes, Degert said that Croatia was expected to improve relations with its neighbours and that such issues should be dealt with bilaterally.
We hope that the governments concerned will reach a solution to this problem through discussion, Degert said.