The German government's special commissioner for southeast Europe, Nikolaus von der Wenge Graf Lambsdorff, has told the Deutsche Welle radio that Croatia has had the toughest and most painful negotiating process as a candidate for the European Union membership.
In the future, this will be the rule for every new EU aspirant that will have to meet at least the same requirements which Croatia has fulfilled, the German diplomat told the DW service in the Croatian language on Thursday.
Following the experience in the relations between Slovenia and Croatia during the latter's accession to the EU, it is necessary to see to it that an EU member will not hinder the integration of its neighbour due to bilateral issues, according to the German diplomat.
Croatia has committed itself and every new aspirant will have to commit itself to not behaving that way, he added.
Croatia is expected to foster good neighbourly relations in the Balkans and not to forget its neighbours, Lambsdorff said, pushing for the continuation of the accession of the entire region into the EU.
He said that the EU accession negotiations in the past six years had completely changed Croatia's society.
