Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor confirmed on Thursday that Croatia would sign a Treaty of Accession to the European Union on December 9, and that the document would be signed by her and by President Ivo Josipovic.
"This is great news for Croatia, for the government and for me personally as Prime Minister," Kosor told reporters at government headquarters.
The Polish EU Presidency has confirmed that Croatia will sign its Treaty of Accession to the EU on December 9 in Brussels, on the fringes of a meeting of EU member countries' heads of state or government.
The treaty will be signed shortly before the start of a meeting of the European Council, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk will co-host the ceremony together with the attending heads of state or government, the spokesman for the Polish EU Presidency, Konrad Niklewiecz, told press.
Kosor said that after signing the treaty, she would be the first Croatian Prime Minister to attend a session of the European Council. "By signing the treaty we will practically become an EU member," Kosor said.
"On December 9, I will sign the Accession Treaty. Based on my proposal, the Treaty will also be signed by President Josipovic. And by no one else," Kosor said when asked about the possibility of the winner of the forthcoming parliamentary election attending the signing ceremony or being a member of the Croatian delegation at the signing ceremony.
The incumbent government completed the EU talks, we deserve most credit for their completion, Kosor said, adding that in the summer of 2009 the talks were blocked and that it was her government that found the solution to the border dispute with Slovenia and resumed the talks.
She thanked all who had taken part in the negotiating process, notably Croatian citizens.
The Polish EU Presidency, in cooperation with the office of the European Union in Warsaw, on Thursday launched a project to make a short film welcoming Croatia in the EU.
The EU Presidency called on Polish citizens to use their cell phones or cameras to make short messages for Croatian citizens, the deadline for the completion of the project being November 28. The collected messages will serve as material for a speech which will be a symbolic gift of the Polish EU Presidency to Croatia. The film will be posted on the Polish EU Presidency's web site.
