British Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said during a visit to Zagreb on Wednesday he was impressed with judicial reforms carried out in Croatia and that it would soon be decided if those reforms took hold irreversibly and if the time had come for Croatia to join the European Union.
I am very impressed with the judicial reform programme carried out in Croatia over the past years with, I am certain, broad support and consensus in parliament and in the Croatian public, Clarke told reporters after talks with Croatian Justice Minister Drazen Bosnjakovic.
The British government, as well as other friends of Croatia, will soon decide if the changes have become irreversible and permanent, if they have become an integral part of life in Croatia and if the time has come for Croatia to become an EU member, Clarke said.
"Croatia has implemented thorough changes and thorough reforms. We are so deep in the reform process that there is no going back, nor do we want to go back. Our wish is to organise the judicial system in Croatia to function to the satisfaction of our citizens and all business entities," Bosnjakovic said.
Clarke also said the British government strongly advocated EU enlargement, expressing hope that in the end enlargement would include all democratic countries of the Western Balkans.
Bosnjakovic and Clarke also talked about Croatia's progress in meeting benchmarks for closing policy area No. 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights). Clarke was interested the most in that chapter as EU member states and the European Commission would "soon adopt a conclusion" about it and about the completion of Croatia's EU entry talks.
