The scheduled date of Croatia's accession to the European Union is not questionable and there are no doubts as to whether Croatia will meet the required criteria by then, Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said in Brussels on Tuesday after meeting with European Parliament President Martin Schulz.
"Postponement of accession is not an option. Here, just like in Zagreb, the general conviction is that July 1 is the date when Croatia will become a member. We are aware of what we still must do, but here in this parliament there are no doubts as to whether Croatia will meet the requirements," Josipovic said.
The President said that Croatia was making progress, as shown in the European Commission's comprehensive monitoring report. "We will continue reforms even after July 1 next year. After all, the member states too keep reforming their systems, their economies and their justice systems. It is wrong to think that after July 1 next year we will be perfect."
"We are very much aware that we should continue the reform process and that we need to do a lot of things by July 1, but the important thing is that the trend is good, that it has been recognised and that Croatia is making progress," he added.
Josipovic was in Brussels on Tuesday to receive, together with former Serbian President Boris Tadic, a European Medal of Tolerance for promoting truth, tolerance and reconciliation. The award was due to be presented at a ceremony in the European Parliament on Tuesday evening.
