During a visit to Zagreb on Thursday, European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele commended Croatia's good progress over the past year, but stressed that Croatia should focus on several challenges, including the reform of the judiciary and public administration, and the fight against corruption and organised crime.
The talks are in the final stage. We agreed that it was important to keep the momentum and carry out the remaining difficult reforms before accession to the EU. I stressed that Croatia had to focus on issues that include the completion of the reform of the judiciary and public administration, the fight against corruption and organised crime, cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and, in that context, war crimes, minorities and human rights, Fuele said at a news conference after talks with Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.
Kosor said that Croatia expected to close three policy areas in its accession talks at the next intergovernmental accession conference in December, and to close early in 2011 the two most difficult policy areas - No. 23, Judiciary and Fundamental Rights and No. 8, Competition Policy.
"We particularly discussed the policy area No. 23. I informed Mr Fuele of the many activities and reforms," Kosor said, adding that the national court network had been reduced by 38 percent, that the number of prosecutors' offices had been cut by 25 percent and that the number of unsolved court cases this year had been reduced by 10 percent in relation to last year.
As for cooperation with the Hague tribunal, Kosor said that the task force in charge of that was investigating all possible avenues regardless of who it may identify, "and we use the same principles in the fight against corruption."
As for the policy area Competition Policy, Croatia is close to lasting and final solutions regarding the state-owned shipyards and the Splitska Zeljezara steel mill.
She also said that she was exceptionally satisfied with her cooperation with President Ivo Josipovic.
"I am exceptionally satisfied with my cooperation with President Josipovic on all matters regarding the completion of the talks. We really share the same views. My cabinet and I enjoy the President's strong support, which I believe is very important in this moment and which is an important message to Croatian citizens," Kosor said.
The EU Enlargement Commissioner, who is on a day-long visit to Croatia, held talks with President Josipovic earlier in the day.
He is also expected to meet Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic, the chair of the National Committee monitoring Croatia's EU accession talks, Vesna Pusic, and Committee members, Social Democratic Party leader Zoran Milanovic and representatives of civil society, as well as visit an EU-financed Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance project.
