Only two countries are yet to complete the ratification process of Croatia's EU accession treaty - Germany and Denmark - and that could occur next month already, a little earlier than had been expected, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic said in Luxembourg on Monday.
"Ratification is proceeding as scheduled and could be completed earlier than announced and there are no problems in this. We are already talking about the period after we join the European Union", Minister Pusic said ahead of meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
We may even be positively surprised and the entire process might end in May already, but in any case, ratification is no longer in question, she said.
Asked when the German parliament would complete the ratification, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that he could not forecast the Bundestag's decisions, stressing however the government considered Croatia to be prepared for membership.
The foreign ministers are expected to adopt the Conclusion on Croatia at their regular meeting and this will be the final conclusion on Croatia as an accession country.
"The Council commends Croatia for the results achieved, noting that it has completed the ten priority actions identified in the Commission’s comprehensive monitoring report of October 2012. Croatia has shown the will and ability to fulfil all other commitments before accession and is expected to complete its final preparations for membership. The Council notes that Croatia's forthcoming accession is the result of a rigorous negotiation process and of close monitoring during pre-accession preparations. Building on the achievements to date, Croatia is expected to continue developing its track records in the field of the rule of law, notably in the fight against corruption and the handling of domestic war crimes cases. The Council also welcomes important initial steps on urgently needed structural reforms that have been taken to improve competitiveness and growth prospects in the economy, encourages further progress, and welcomes the informal participation of Croatia in the 2013 European Semester", the Council of the Europe Union says in its conclusions which should be adopted without debate.
High Representative for the European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton is expected to inform the ministers of the landmark agreement reached between Serbia and Kosovo on the normalisation of relations, which she brokered and was initialled last week.
Minister Pusic congratulated both sides, stating that the agreement was historic.
"I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate Serbia and Kosovo and High Representative Ashton for this achievement. I believe that apart from being exceptionally important for Serbia and Kosovo, that this is a historical moment for the region and exceptionally important for the future and stability of us all", Minister Pusic said.
