Croatia closed negotiations on a very demanding policy chapter, Free Movement of Goods, at an intergovernmental accession conference in Brussels on Monday.
The chapter comprises a lot of directives, rules and regulations governing the free flow of goods on the common market.
Croatia has opened 30 of the 33 chapters to date and has closed 18, including the one today.
"This chapter is very important because it's one of the foundation stones of the common market, and the fact that Croatia has closed it confirms in the best possible way a high degree of approximation of Croatian legislation to the acquis communautaire," Croatia's chief negotiator, Vladimir Drobnjak, said after the conference.
Drobnjak said it was possible that another accession conference would be held in May, at which Croatia might close the Taxation chapter and open the Foreign, Security and Defence Policy chapter.
Before the end of the current Spanish EU presidency, a ministerial-level accession conference will be held in June at which Croatia may open the remaining chapters and close several of them, he added.
