Croatia hopeful that reform report will bring EU candidacy

Date: 15/04/04

CROATIA is hoping that the European Commission will pave the way next week for it to be formally declared a candidate for EU membership when it unveils an assessment on reforms in the ex-Yugoslav state.

Diplomats from the country believe that an upbeat report from the EU executive, due to be adopted next Tuesday (20 April), could lead to the June summit of the Union's leaders bestowing candidate status on it.

Yet although the Commission believes Croatia has undertaken more far-reaching economic reforms than all other western Balkan countries, bar Slovenia, the main political sticking point concerns its cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Zagreb reckons last month's decision to hand over Mladen Markac and Ivan Cermak, two retired army generals who took a leading role in the Croat forces' recapture of the former Serbian stronghold of Knin in 1995, means it is now fully cooperating with the tribunal.

However, the UK's Europe Minister Denis MacShane said his government would not support Croatia's EU bid unless it did its utmost to have its most famous indictee Ante Gotovina brought to justice.

The Zagreb authorities say their intelligence services are certain Gotovina, who commanded forces accused of murdering at least 150 Croatian Serbs in the Krajina region, is no longer on Croatian territory.

European Commission: DG Enlargement: Detailed country information: Croatia http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/countries/detailed-country-information/croatia/index_en.htm

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