"There should be no giving in just to raise hope," the chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee, Ruprecht Polenz of the Christian Democratic Union, told Der Spiegel. He said that the planned accession of Croatia to the European Union on July 1 next year was possible only if the next European Commission progress report was positive.

Michael Roth, member of the opposition Social Democratic Party in charge of European affairs, was even harsher. "We must, when it comes to Croatia, give an intimidating example to others," he said.

Croatia must overcome the objections raised by the European Commission, such as drawn-out court proceedings, "otherwise the Bundestag will not ratify its accession treaty," Roth concluded.

The Speaker of the Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, again expressed his scepticism about Croatia's readiness for EU membership. "The example of Bulgaria and Romania shows that expectations that it will be easier to solve problems after entry into the EU are impracticable. We must not repeat the same mistake," he told Der Spiegel.

Lammert said that the EU now needed consolidation. "I think we should consider introducing an annual report on the state of affairs in the European Union. It may open some people's eyes to unresolved problems we have been dragging along for years," he concluded.