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Croatia is “ready to join EU” and “good news” expected on Friday

Wednesday, June 8th 2011 - 06:05 UTC
Full article 3 comments
EC president Jose Manuel Barroso: ‘we are at a decisive moment’ EC president Jose Manuel Barroso: ‘we are at a decisive moment’

The European Commission will recommend that EU member governments finalize accession talks with Croatia, clearing an important hurdle on Zagreb's path to joining the 27-strong bloc.

A source at the European Commission said on Tuesday the executive will advise that Croatia is ready for such a move after making satisfactory progress in difficult negotiation areas such as competition policy and justice reforms.

Such a recommendation means EU governments will be able to discuss whether to finalise talks with Zagreb in the coming weeks and will likely persuade many to agree.

Croatia hopes to become an EU member in 2013.

“I expect the Commission to propose closing remaining chapters on Friday. The ... commissioners endorsed this today,” the source said.

Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso also said on Tuesday that Croatia was ready.

“We are at a decisive moment of Croatia's long journey and I believe there will be very good news on Friday,” he told a news conference in Strasbourg.

Despite the Commission's backing, some EU governments may want to take discussions on Croatia's readiness slowly, because of concerns over corruption and Zagreb's progress in coming to terms with its role in ethnic wars in the Balkans in the 1990s.

Croatia would become the second EU member from the former Yugoslavia after Slovenia, which joined in 2004.
 

Categories: Politics, International.

Top Comments

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  • Fido Dido

    The title should be ..Croatia enters a ship that's ready to be sunk by corruption.

    Jun 08th, 2011 - 07:31 pm 0
  • Sergio Vega

    Yeap !! No doubts, as well as the Mercosur, Unasur and others Latam org.

    Jun 08th, 2011 - 09:31 pm 0
  • Fido Dido

    Mercosur is sinking? Unasur is sinking? really? Show me.
    by the way, like it or not, your country, Chile, is in it, or it isolate itself.
    Corruption you can find in any country in the world, include yours.

    Jun 08th, 2011 - 10:52 pm 0
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