We advocate a united Europe of all its peoples and close to all its citizens, a strong Europe being on an equal footing with its partners, the United States, China, Japan, India and others, as a power of peace, human rights and environmental protection in the world, reads the first point of the declaration signed by participants in the round table debate in Zagreb which focused on Croatia's European Union membership prospects.
The document was formulated on the recommendation of International Paneuropean Union President Alain Terrenoire.
Speakers at today's event were Bernd Posselt, a German member of the European Parliament, Pavo Barisic, the Croatian Paneuropean Union president, Andrej Plenkovic, Croatian Foreign Ministry State Secretary, Mladen Andric, the head of the Croatian Diplomatic Academy and some other guests.
They said they were pushing for Croatia's swift admission to the EU without any additional conditions such as monitoring, as its entry could serve as an impetus to other southeastern European countries.
The process of the integration of the European Union cannot be completed without the inclusion of Croatia and other southeastern European countries, the declaration said.
We advocate the inclusion of southeastern European countries into the EU as soon as each of them meets accession conditions and we also advocate offering assistance to EU hopefuls to fulfill those conditions if they meet obstacles on that road, the declaration reads citing Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia and Albania in this context.
Participants in the event also spoke about the Croatian Paneuropean Union's efforts to help Croatia on its EU membership road.
German MEP Posselt said that everybody must remain wakeful and careful until the last moment although Croatia seemed to be at the very finish of negotiating its entry into the EU.
To believe that the negotiations are over should be only when they are really over. The matter has not yet been finished, Posselt said.
State Secretary Plenkovic spoke about a pace of Croatia's EU accession negotiations and positive effects of the reforms on the Croatian society.
He said that the Croatian government would like to sign the Treaty of Accession by the end of this year.
Plenkovic thanked Croatian Paneuropean Union members for their commitment to Croatia's EU membership bid over the last 20 years.