It is of enormous importance for the European Union's credibility that Croatia joins the bloc on July 1 in line with the obligation assumed by the European Council, so Ireland's EU presidency expects the ratification of Croatia's accession treaty to be completed on time, Irish Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton said in Dublin on Tuesday.
There is the obligation assumed by the European Council regarding Croatia's accession on 1 July 2013. We strongly support that because it is of enormous importance for the EU and the credibility of the European Council, she told a group of Brussels correspondents, invited to Dublin after Ireland took over the EU's rotating presidency, when asked about the possibility of Slovenia not ratifying the accession treaty on time because of the Ljubljanska Banka issue.
I am not underestimating the importance and sensitivity of this issue between Slovenia and Croatia, but it is a bilateral issue and it is not on the presidency to comment on its details. I hope and expect the ratification of the accession treaty to be completed on time, Creighton said, adding that she had discussed the matter with both Croatia and Slovenia.
Croatia's accession treaty has been ratified by 20 EU countries and ratification has begun in six. Only Slovenia has not launched the process.
Creighton said in December Ljubljanska Banka's debt to former Croatian depositors was a bilateral issue that must not stand in the way of Croatia's EU accession.
