The Commission is due to release its report on Croatia, which is set to join the EU on 1 July 2013, in mid- or late March, according to Reding. The Croatian minister explained that it would take some time to write the report, which is why Croatia is expected to give its report by 31 January.

The Commissioner has emphasised that the time frame for us is 31 January 2013 and by then Croatia must notify the Commission of the fulfillment of the ten tasks identified in the report released in October, Pusic told reporters after her meeting with Reding.

The Pusic-Reding talks also focused on the recent decision by the Hague-based UN tribunal to clear two Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac of war crimes.

"We have considered this topic which is not part of those ten tasks, but it has cropped up in discussions in the European Commission and among member-states after the generals' acquittal. The Commissioner has said that reactions in Croatia were moderate and in line with our position which is well-known and which we abide by: the acquittal means that the two generals are not responsible for war crimes, but this does not mean that no crimes had been committed by both sides. This also does not mean that Croatia will cease prosecuting war crimes suspects. We have prosecuted and we are prosecuting and we will prosecute (those crimes)," Pusic said.

The Croatian minister presented Commissioner Reding with a review which the country's prosecutorial authorities compiled on all cases so far solved and on cases under way.

The policy chapter "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights" is one of the three negotiating chapters, along with the "Competition Policy" and "Freedom, Justice and Security" that are in the focus of monitoring of Croatia's progress in the run-up to its entry into the European bloc.

Some of the members of the 27-strong bloc are waiting for the Commission's last report on Zagreb before they complete the ratification of Croatia's Accession Treaty with the EU.