Kroatië wil in 2007 tot EU toetreden (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Croatia's recently elected Prime Minister today (12 January) said that he expected his country to be accepted as a candidate for membership of the European Union within the next five months.

Following the first round of a series of meetings with high level Commission officials which will span two days, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader was upbeat, saying that he expected Brussels to back Croatia's application in March and member states to do so in June.

The Commission said today that its analysis would come in Spring, although President Romano Prodi and other officials stopped short of setting a definite date.

But like the Croatian government, the Irish EU Presidency has said that it would like to see the Commissions verdict by the end of March, paving the way for a decision by the end of Ireland's tenure in June.

With the backing of the President of the Commission and of the Council, Croatia's application for membership of the European Union is widely expected to be accepted by both the Commission and member states.

However, long running territorial disputes with Slovenia, coupled with the accession of that country to the EU could present a potential sticking point, if Slovenia wields its power of veto over Croatia's application.

A number of other problem areas ranging from co-operation with the International Tribunal in the Hague to reform of the judicial system make the acceptance and the ratification by the 25 member states and the Commission something more than a formality.

Hopes to join by 2007

However, Mr Sanader remains bullish, predicting that Croatia will join the European Union along with Romania and Bulgaria in 2007, an extremely ambitious timetable which would mean concluding laborious technical negotiations in two years.

"We are ready to fulfil all our obligations" he said. "I am quite confident that we can succeed... we did not waste time in the past so we can say to some extent that we are well prepared for negotiations".

While in Brussels, Mr Sanader vowed, in the strongest terms to date, that his government would co-operate fully with the Hague Tribunal, which is trying those accused of atrocities in the Balkan conflicts of the mid 1990s.

When asked if he would be willing to expel Ante Gotovina, a former general indicted for war crimes committed against Croatian Serbs in 1995, Mr Sanader was unequivocal.

"When I say full co-operation I mean full co-operation", he said.

The Croatian delegation will tomorrow meet External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten and the Secretary General of NATO.