LUXEMBOURG, April 26 (Hina) - European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday welcomed the European Commission's opinion on Croatia's application for membership in the EU.
LUXEMBOURG, April 26 (Hina) - European Union foreign ministers in
Luxembourg on Monday welcomed the European Commission's opinion on
Croatia's application for membership in the EU.#L#
The ministers discussed the avis which met with much approval and no
criticism, an EC source said.
The EC last week issued a very positive avis on Croatia's EU
membership candidacy with a recommendation on the opening of accession
talks with Zagreb.
EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten officially presented
the avis to EU ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, but the Council of
Ministers will not discuss the document at this meeting.
All participants in the meeting welcomed the avis, including
representatives of Great Britain and Italy, countries which have not
ratified the Croatia-EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement yet.
The source quoted the Italians as saying they wanted Croatia to abide
by the conclusions of the conference on sustainable fishing in the
Mediterranean held late last year in Venice and work more on
establishing dialogue with neighbours to settle outstanding issues.
Great Britain, too, has taken note of the progress Croatia has made in
cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague and expects
concrete action to be taken or official statements on efforts to solve
the case of runaway general Ante Gotovina to be issued by the EU
summit in June. The British representatives have made it clear that
they want to see signs of Croatia having distanced itself from
Gotovina before June, the source said.
The Council of Ministers is expected to adopt formal conclusions on
Croatia's avis at one of its next meetings, most probably in June,
before the EU summit at which European leaders are expected to decide
about Croatia's candidacy and a date for the start of accession
talks.
(Hina) rml