STRASBOURG, April 20 (Hina) - An EC 'avis' that is this positive offers a basis for realistic expectations of the European Council granting Croatia candidate status and setting a date for the start of accession talks at a summit in
June, Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul said in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
STRASBOURG, April 20 (Hina) - An EC 'avis' that is this positive offers
a basis for realistic expectations of the European Council granting
Croatia candidate status and setting a date for the start of accession
talks at a summit in June, Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul said
in Strasbourg on Tuesday.#L#
"The avis gives us the right to expect not only a positive decision of
the European Council in June, but also a date for the start of
accession talks," Zuzul said in Strasbourg where he arrived together
with Croatian European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic
earlier in the day to attend the announcement of the EC's opinion on
Croatia's EU membership application (the so-called avis).
Commenting on the avis, in which the EC recommends that the European
Council open accession talks with Croatia on full EU membership, Zuzul
said that this was "a great result, a result of the government's work
and orientation of the entire nation".
"I am satisfied with the fact that the Commission has recognised what
the Croatian government, the Croatian people and citizens are doing,
and I believe that we have made a big step. It is now up to us to
continue progress on this path," Zuzul said.
He thanked "the European Commission, its President Romano Prodi,
Commissioners (Chris) Patten and (Guenter) Verheugen and other EC
members, as well as the former and current governments, and visionary
Ivo Sanader", for the positive avis.
(Hina) ms