Croatia’s slow EU progress
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union’s enlargement commissioner said he hoped Croatia and Slovenia could resolve a border dispute so that Zagreb can open all its EU entry bid negotiating chapters this year. Croatia has so far opened five of 35 chapters, or negotiating areas, since launching accession negotiations on October 2005 and has closed two. Commissioner Olli Rehn said after meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader it was possible to open all the remaining chapters this year. But asked if he believed the chapter on fisheries could be opened given the border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia, he replied: «I would very much welcome that we could have a compromise between Croatia and Slovenia (on) how to deal with this bilateral border issue so that it would facilitate having no further problems reflected in accession negotiations.» Rehn said the negotiating process with Croatia was moving «swiftly and smoothly.» He added that he hoped elections scheduled for November would not hold up the process. «I trust that this will be not only a year of elections but also of reforms,» he said. Sanader said Croatia hoped to open all its remaining chapters before the end of 2007 to allow it to meet its target of joining the EU by late 2008 or early 2009. He said the government intended to maintain the pace of reforms. He also said he hoped the process of EU institutional reform needed to allow it to admit any more members would keep pace with Croatia’s timetable for accession. On Tuesday, EU officials said Croatia’s accession bid was on track but it must do more to fight corruption and restructure inefficient enterprises.
