Croatia could complete its accession talks with the European Union by the end of Hungary's EU presidency which runs until the end of June, the Hungarian foreign minister said on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Other EU diplomats have said Croatia was likely to complete its accession talks later this year thanks to a revival of judicial reforms but they said the country appeared set to miss its June target.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi said in an interview on the Hungarian government's website on Sunday that the next few days would be important for Croatia's accession.
The 27 EU governments will discuss the state of negotiations with Croatia on Monday.
"We will thoroughly discuss all questions on the present state of Croatia's accession, during a working dinner. We will probably touch upon the issue of the accession's indicative date, as well as other relevant matters," Martonyi said.
He said the European Commission was currently drawing up a proposal for the EU's negotiating positions concerning the remaining five open negotiation chapters.
"Croatia has remarkably accelerated its preparations in the recent weeks and will continue to do so in the upcoming days and weeks," Martonyi said.
"Therefore, there is a chance to conclude the accession talks by the end of the Hungarian Presidency's term. It would be very important for southeast European stability to exploit the present momentum. We should not miss this opportunity," he added.
