Croatia: shunning the Turkey link

Date: 27/04/06

The Croatian officials and politicians negotiating for their country's admission to the European Union grow agitated at any suggestion that their membership bid is linked to that of Turkey.

But the first tentative steps of the negotiating processes of the two countries do look remarkably similar.

Both received the go-ahead to begin membership negotiations at the same time, in October 2005, and both are scheduled to complete the screening process by October.

Both Croatia and Turkey are tackling the 33 negotiating chapters in a similar order - presenting their negotiating positions for the science and research chapter and looking for Commission approval to set out their positions on education and culture and public procurement. Perhaps most critically, both are attempting to join the EU at a time when enlargement is questioned as never before.

But there are big differences between Croatia and Turkey, as basic development indicators illustrate.

According to the World Bank, the gross national income per person in Croatia is, at EUR 5,500 (similar to Poland's), way above the EUR 3,000 of Turkey. Croatia has a population of 4.4 million while Turkey's is 71m and growing.

Croatia has also fulfilled the criteria of the stabilisation and association process, which are closely aligned to the criteria for EU membership.

Croatian diplomats are wary of being seen to extol their advantages at Turkey's expense: senior Commission officials have warned in very clear terms that any attempt to do so would be counter-productive.

Yet faced with significant public opposition to Turkey's membership, Croatia's government appears concerned that a link is being made.

There are worries in Zagreb that in order to appease voters concerned by the prospect of Turkey's membership, the EU will be making it difficult to open negotiating chapters, thereby stalling Croatia's bid as well.

In public at least, Zagreb has remained positive, but there are some signs of frustration with the slow pace of the talks.

"The screening process is progressing well and on target. We are approaching half way," said Vladimir Drobnjak, Croatia's chief negotiator, adding that he expected half of the screening reports to be done by the time the Austrian presidency ends in June.

But he said that progress was slow in finalising the actual reports. "The rate of production is slower than previously anticipated," he said. "Of the 15 or 16 chapters that have been screened, only three screening reports have reached the working group [the level of officials]."

Privately several Croatian officials expect that as targets come more and more into play the country will begin to pull away from Turkey.

According to one source based in Brussels, the EU working group on enlargement might, in the area of public procurement, set more targets or benchmarks for Turkey than for Croatia.

And Drobnjak remains confident: "We do not mind benchmarks as long as they are applied fairly and it is not a case of shifting the goalposts."

Article compares aspects of the bids for EU membership by Croatia and Turkey amidst strong rejections by the Croatian authorities against this link to be made.
Article is part of a European Voice Special Report, 'EU enlargement'.

• Primary Source

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

---