Croatian authorities need to continue their ongoing reform efforts in parallel with the country’s EU membership negotiations process, in order to make faster progress towards joining the bloc, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fuele said.
 
Fuele was speaking on the eve of his first visit to Croatia, on February 17 and 18, to attend the inauguration of the newly-elected president, Ivo Josipovic.
 
Fuele was due to hold talks with Josipovic, as well Croatia’s prime minister, foreign minister, justice minister and chief negotiator with the EU.
 
While in Zagreb, Fuele was also scheduled to meet various leaders including the presidents of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo.
 
Croatia will have to pursue economic and political reforms with an emphasis on the judiciary and the public administration, on the fight against organised crime and corruption and ensure continued progress on the minority rights and refugee return, the European Commission said in a statement on February 16.
 
"Croatia must also maintain full co-operation with ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia). This is important for Croatia itself, for the EU, and for the region too."
 
A resolution adopted by the European Parliament on February 10 said that accession negotiations with Croatia could be wound up in 2010 and Croatia's successful accession would give a "positive impetus" to the process of integrating the rest of the Western Balkans region within Europe.
 
MEPs were nonetheless concerned that public support for membership was diminishing in Croatia, a European Parliament media statement said.
 
Croatia is expected to "co-operate fully" with the ICTY and allow the Court access to documents requested for use in war crimes trials, the European Parliament said.
 
Arrangements for solving the bilateral border dispute with Slovenia "have created the momentum to open all remaining chapters," the EP resolution said.
 
Josipovic’s inauguration was expected to be attended by a number of heads of state and government from around Europe, with the exception of Serbian president Boris Tadić, who said that he would not attend the ceremony in Zagreb because Kosovo president Fatmir Sejdiu had confirmed that he would be present.
 
Josipovic said that he regretted the fact that Tadic had decided not to attend, and that he had "extended a hand to Serbia, hoping it would be accepted by Tadic," local media reported.
 
Serbia rejects as illegitimate Kosovo’s self-declared independence, and part of its international diplomatic campaign is to avoid any suggestion of treating leaders from Pristina as legitimate state figures.