The Croatian government is doing its best in order to ensure the completion of the accession negotiations with the European Union by the end of this year, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Thursday after her meeting with European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele in Brussels.
"I have told the ministers to personally oversee the processes. I can say that we talk around the clock about those processes, achievements and what should be done. This was also the topic of my talks with Fuele," Kosor said.
Fuele expressed hope that by the end of the Spanish EU presidency (30 June this year) Croatia would open the three remaining unopened policy chapters and close a majority of them.
"We are absolutely ready to work on everything which may exist as a problem or an outstanding issue. I am sure that we will overcome the most difficult chapters. We have discussed the policy chapters No. 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights), shipyards and everything in connection with policy chapter No. 8 (Competition Policy)," Kosor said.
As regards policy chapter No. 31 (Foreign, Security and Defence Policy) and Slovenia's reservations, Kosor announced an informal meeting with her Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor next week.
Fuele said that Croatia had entered the last stage of the accession negotiations which he said was perhaps the most difficult, but it was the final one.
Later in the day, Kosor was due to attend a meeting of the European People's Party ahead of an EU summit meeting.
