Croatia in Brussels on Wednesday opened the final three chapters in its EU entry talks, closed another two, and thus neared the completion of the membership negotiations and the signing of the accession treaty, expected in early 2011.
Croatia opened the chapters Competition Policy, Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, and Foreign, Security and Deference Policy, while it closed Public Procurement and Taxation. As of today, Croatia has all 33 negotiation chapters opened and 20 chapters have already been closed.
Croatia started the talks in late 2005 and is aiming to conclude them before the end of the year. That could pave the way for EU membership around 2012 or 2013, considering the time necessary for ratification of its Treaty of Accession by the bloc's existing states.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele told a news conference that the accession treaty with Croatia could be signed during Hungary's EU presidency, namely in the first half of 2011. He added that the European Commission could announce more concrete dates concerning Croatia's EU entry in a progress report this November.
