Task force could open way for Croatia accession talks

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 24/03/05

CROATIA'S EU membership bid will be assessed by a task force according to a deal reached by leaders in Brussels on Wednesday (23 March).

Just one week after foreign ministers said the country's co-operation with The Hague tribunal was insufficient to start talks, their bosses called for a task force to look again at the issue.

After pressure from member states who advocate starting accession talks with Croatia, most notably Austria and Hungary, EU leaders decided to set up a group to decide if Croatia is doing all it can to find the suspected war criminal, Ante Gotovina.

Croatia's supporters were concerned that the judgement on co-operation with the Hague tribunal - where Gotovina is wanted for his involvement in the murder of at least 150 Serb civilians - depended too heavily on the view of UN chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte.

Chaired by Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, the task force will bring together the next two EU presidencies, the UK and Austria. The two held diametrically opposed views during last week's discussion.

A representative from the European Commission and the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, will also be part of the group.

Sources from one country in favour of Croatia starting talks said that the report could be finished by 20 May, in time for foreign ministers to discuss the matter three days later when they meet in Brussels.

The group could also hold a crucial meeting with the Croatian authorities on 26 April in the margins of the EU-Croatia meeting in Luxembourg.

But Luxembourg and Council officials say modalities are not yet set in stone. "These are tentative dates, no decision has been taken," said one Luxembourg source.

Those who backed a tough line on Croatian compliance are emphasising that the group will work closely with del Ponte and her opinion will still remain crucial.

The move, which was welcomed by the Croatian authorities, falls short of the European Parliament's request that negotiations start while a monitoring mission could ask for talks to be frozen if Croatia's co-operation with The Hague proved insufficient.

EU foreign ministers must agree unanimously before they can open accession negotiations with Croatia.

EU Heads of State and Government decided at the European Council meeting of 22-23 March 2005 to establish a Task Force to assess Croatia's bid for EU Membership. This came one week after the EU had decided not to open Membership negotiations as scheduled because they deemed Croatia's co-operation with The Hague tribunal insufficient.

The Task Force, to be chaired by Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, was to bring together the next two EU presidencies, the UK and Austria, countries which held diametrically opposed views during earlier discussions. A representative from the European Commission and the High Representative for the CFSP, Javier Solana, were also to be part of the group.