Speaking to the press ahead of the arrival of Polish PM Donald Tusk, who is also the incumbent EU chair, Kosor said the delivery of the draft accession treaty marked the end of the "enormous" job Croatia had done in the accession negotiations.

Tusk is arriving in Zagreb later today to attend a ceremony on Saturday on the occasion of the delivery of the draft accession treaty, "a document that marks the end of an important road and signals that Croatia will become a member of the EU on 1 January 2013," said Kosor.

She said tomorrow would be an especially important day because it marked the end of a job that had been particularly intensive in the past two years, when Croatia lifted the blockade of its EU entry talks and did the bulk of the "difficult and demanding job in the negotiations."

Kosor said the draft treaty would soon be translated into Croatian, after which the government would adopt a decision to initiate its signing.

"Since that decision is adopted by the government, I will propose that President Ivo Josipovic sign the treaty with me," she said, adding that the moment of signing would be one of celebration, when Croatia should show togetherness, determination and strength as well as "unity and consensus about this important job."

"It's no longer that important when the treaty will be signed. What is essential is that as of tomorrow we will have the treaty and that we will sign it."

Kosor said Tusk and she would visit the Zagreb Trade Fair tomorrow afternoon to show they wanted to intensify Croatian-Polish economic cooperation. Poland is this year's partner country at the fair.