This policy area defines what member-countries get institution-wise in the EU, namely their rights of participation in the EU.

Kosor said that Croatia, once it joins the EU, would also have the right to have one judge at the European Court of Justice, one judge at the General Court, the right to be represented at the European Central Bank by the governor of its central bank, and the right to have one judge at the European Court of Auditors.

Croatia will also have nine seats on the European Economic and Social Committee, nine seats on the Committee of the Regions, and the right to be represented at the European Investment Bank by the minister of its own choice, as well as to have one seat on the Board of Directors, Kosor said.

"Croatian will become an official EU language," she said, calling on all to continue working and investing maximum effort to complete the necessary work for EU accession as soon as possible.

She said that intensive work was also under way on the most difficult policy areas, Judiciary and Fundamental Rights and Competition Policy, adding that Croatia had good results in that process and that she was very optimistic.

Kosor also welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's promise that Hungary would do its best so that accession talks with Croatia were completed in the first half of next year, during Hungary's presidency of the EU.

"I welcome it as a friendly gesture that confirms the good neighbourly relations between the two countries and the support for Croatia on the path to the EU," she said.

Orban made the statement on Wednesday in Ljubljana, where he met with Slovenian PM Borut Pahor, who supported Orban's position.

Kosor said that she would meet Pahor on Saturday to discuss, among other things, the strengthening of the economic cooperation.

She added that she would visit Brussels on Monday to hold talks with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.