EU leaders welcome Croatia

Zagreb is warned that it must continue to reform after membership talks are completed.

EU leaders today welcomed Croatia’s efforts to complete its negotiations to join the Union and, in a statement issued on the second day of their summit in Brussels, “invited” officials to wrap up the accession talks by the end of June.

But in language that was not contained in earlier drafts of the summit statement, they also called on Croatia to “continue its reform efforts with the same vigour” after the end of the accession talks.

The new language also refers to pre-accession “monitoring”, which several member states – notably France, the Netherlands and the UK – had demanded. Previous membership candidates, such as Bulgaria and Romania, which both entered in 2007, also had their reform efforts monitored before they joined, but in a less politically visible way.

The monitoring arrangements are seen as an important concession to national leaders in countries where enlargement fatigue runs high.

In their final summit statement, the EU leaders also warned that the European Council, acting by qualified majority on a proposal by the Commission, could take “all appropriate measures” in case of problems.

Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, commended Croatia on its progress, but also said that it was “important to ensure that Croatia’s reforms are sustainable and irreversible up until accession”.

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“I’m glad that we have agreed on a monitoring mechanism with a bite,” Rutte said.

In a later press conference with Croatia’s Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, Herman Van Rompuy, the European Council’s president, said that Croatia’s achievement would serve as a an “inspiring example” for the other countries in the western Balkans seeking to join the EU.

José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, said that he was “confident” that Croatia would continue its reform efforts after the completion of membership talks with the same rigour as before.

Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, said that there were “no reservations” toward Croatia’s accession “of the kind which we had with Bulgaria and Romania at the time”.

Several EU member states are, though, concerned about Croatia’s reforms of its judiciary. While Croatia has put in place new rules on the hiring and promotion of judges and prosecutors and as introduced new anti-corruption legislation, they believe it has not yet built up a consistent track record of implementation.

A diplomat from one of the countries that want to see a strong monitoring system said that the summit statement mattered less than the specifics of the monitoring process, which are currently being negotiated by national diplomats in Brussels. The diplomat said that Croatia’s membership talks would only be completed once satisfactory arrangements had been put in place.

Accession in 2013

Croatia is scheduled to enter the EU on 1 July 2013, becoming the Union’s 28th member state, and the second former Yugoslav republic, after Slovenia.

Croatia and Slovenia tomorrow mark the 20th anniversary of their independence from Yugoslavia.

“This really is an historic moment for the Republic of Croatia, and all this is happening on the eve of the 20th anniversary of Croatia’s independence [from Yugoslavia],” Kosor said.

“We are going to continue to work hard not just until we become members but afterwards as well,” she said. “All these changes are irreversible, and all are going to benefit all of us living in Croatia.”

Croatia is expected to sign its accession treaty in the autumn. The treaty would then require ratification by all 27 current member states.