Great Britain supports Croatia's accession to the European Union (EU) and ratification of Croatia's accession treaty in the British parliament should commence as early as tomorrow, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic said in London on Wednesday after meeting with British MPs and Secretary of State for Business, Innovations and Skills Vince Cable.
"It has been my impression until now, and today this was confirmed, that there is no objection in Great Britain to Croatia's accession to the EU, regardless of party affiliation", said Pusic, who is currently on a working visit to London.
"The British have a specific attitude to the Union and reforms that are needed but they have always supported enlargement", she said, adding that "these meetings have shown how important personal contact with parliaments is... It is the parliament in the end that makes the decisions."
If all goes well, the ratification agreement should be sent to parliament tomorrow and the entire procedure could be completed by February or March, she said.
Pusic said that she had informed Secretary Cable of the steps Croatia was taking to improve the investment climate.
During the working visit, Minister Pusic met with a group of MPs and the president of the All-party Parliamentary Group for Croatia, Lord Dundee.
In her talks with MPs, she said that 16 countries had ratified Croatia's accession treaty and that by the end of the year she expected that number to rise to 20.
Commenting on a possible blockade to the ratification of Croatia's treaty by Slovenia, Pusic said that Croatia was working with Slovenia to resolve the matter of Croatian savings accounts in the now defunct Ljubljanska Banka. "It would be important for all-round relations with Slovenia that it not be the last of the 27 member countries to ratify the accession treaty".
