Chances are good that Croatia will wrap up European Union accession negotiations by the end of June or in July, chief negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak said in Parliament on Friday during a discussion on the report on the work of the National Committee overseeing EU accession negotiations in the second half of 2010.
Drobnjak said that a recent meeting of EU foreign ministers, although no date for the completion of accession negotiations was announced, opened the door wide to it, and that the European Commission had requested drafting of final positions on the four negotiation chapters that remained to be closed.
"That means that chances are very good that we will close the remaining chapters by the end of June, and if not in June, then certainly a few weeks later, in July, and that we will sign the accession treaty during the Polish presidency," Drobnjak said.
Drobnjak said that Croatia expected a formal date of accession in June, that is that the European Commission would officially confirm 1 July 2013 as a technical date. "We are emerging from a period of uncertainty and entering a period of security and certainty," he said, thanking the Sabor and the National Committee for their decisive support to the negotiating team.
National Committee chair Vesna Pusic concurred with Drobnjak that it was likely that the negotiations would be completed by the end of June.
Pusic said that at the next meeting of the European Council, scheduled for 23 and 24 June, she expected a formal confirmation of 1 July 2013 as a date of Croatia's accession to the EU.
Pusic said that of the 35 negotiating chapters, only five remained to be closed -- three substantial ones: Chapter 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights), Chapter 13 (Fisheries) and Chapter 8 (Competition Policy), and two technical ones: Chapter 33 (Finance and Budgetary Provisions) and Chapter 35 (Other Issues).
"I hope this is the next to last report before we conclude the negotiations," Pusic said.
