Kroatische regering meent dat 2007 nog te vroeg is voor EU-lidmaatschap (en)

The Croatian Europe minister does not believe her country will enter the EU in 2007.

According to the newspaper Vjesnik, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said on Sunday that it is "most likely that Croatia will not join the EU in 2007 but that is the year in which Croatia will be completely ready for full membership".

Croatia must work hard to start membership negotiations and to get money from EU funds in order to prepare accession, said the minister at a seminar on Croatia and European integration.

Last week the European Commission recommended that membership negotiations be started with the country.

Member states will decide definitively at a summit in June.

The next round of enlargement is set to be 2007 when Bulgaria and Romania join the Union.