EU officials assure Croatia that accession will continue

20/06/2008

ZAGREB, Croatia -- Croatia has received assurances that the EU accession process will continue, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said Thursday (June 19th). After meetings with European Commission (EC) President Jose Manuel Barroso and representatives of the European People's Party (EPP) during the party's annual summit in Brussels, Sanader said that the Irish "no" to the Lisbon Treaty would not affect Croatia's membership chances.

EPP leadership also decided to include Croatia on its agenda, suggesting that there is strong support for the country's EU accession. The EC is expected to present a detailed road map for Croatia's accession process next month that will include an official target for completing negotiations. (Vjesnik, Vecernji List - 20/06/08; HRT - 19/06/08)