Croatia Wraps Up Negotiations, Aims to Join EU 2013

Almost 16 years since ending its bloody war for independence, Croatia takes a vital step closer to joining the European Union. File photo

Expectedly, Croatia's negotiations for its EU accession were closed on Thursday.

The Balkan country has now completed negotiations on all 35 EU policy areas and set a target of becoming the bloc's 28th member in mid 2013.

The chapters "Competition Policy", "Judiciary and Fundamental Rights", "Finance and Budgetary Provisions" and "Other Issues" were the last four remaining.

Croatia's EU accession treaty is thus supposed to be signed by the end of 2011, which will then be followed by ratification by all 27 member states.

Croatia is thus expected to become the first new EU member state after Bulgaria and Romania joined the bloc on July 1, 2007. It will also become the second country from the former Yugoslavia to join the EU after Slovenia did so in 2004.

Under insistence by France and the Netherlands, the EU leaders have agreed that Croatia will be monitored up to its accession in problem areas, i.e. the judiciary and human rights. The precise capacity of the "pre-accession" monitoring mechanism of Croatia is still under discussion.

EU leaders have also declared that Croatia's EU entry will reinvigorate the chances of other countries in the Western Balkans to seek EU integration.

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