From the
International Herald TribuneEU says Croatia can conclude entry talks in 2009By David Brunnstrom
Reuters
Published: March 13, 2008
BRUSSELS:
Croatia should be able to conclude talks in 2009 to become the next country to join the European Union, the European Commission said on Thursday, as it sought to encourage integration of the troubled Balkans region.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said after talks with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader that the EU executive would give Zagreb an indicative timetable later this year for the steps required to close the accession talks. "I have every confidence that Croatia will be able to meet the conditions...It should be possible to conclude the technical negotiations next year, preferably by the end of the mandate of the Commission (in November 2009)," he told a joint news conference.
Barroso said the target date assumed Croatia would meet all the EU's benchmarks by June this year, which include a reform of the judiciary and a painful restructuring of its state-assisted shipyards. Allowing time for ratification by the 27 member states, that would mean Croatia would join the EU in late 2010 or 2011. ....