Brussels, 02/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - In its interim report adopted on Wednesday 2 March, the Commission says that Croatia has made, “considerable progress” in reform of the justice system, tackling corruption and respect for fundamental rights but the country is still far from meeting all ten “closing benchmarks” set out by member states for concluding accession negotiations on the justice and fundamental rights chapter. The Commission's verdict (which has not even set a date for its final report on the matter) is a hard blow to Croatia, which is in danger of not meeting the June 2011 deadline for the conclusion of its accession talks. Completing the talk in the first half of 2011 is also a priority of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
So far, Croatia has closed 28 of the 35 chapters. The Commission is so far refusing to comment on the chances of meeting the June deadline but it is clear that Zagreb will have to redouble its efforts if it wants to be in time. Commission sources explained that, “It would not be appropriate for the Commission to set target dates. It's up to Croatia itself to take the necessary steps”. The report underlines the fact that Zagreb still has a lot to do. Most notably, it will have to present a “convincing track record” in the legal arena and in the fight against corruption. The Croatian authorities will also have to rectify the question of impunity for war criminals and facilitate the return of refugees. The report is a “guide” for the Croatian government, so that it knows exactly what it still has to do to conclude negotiations on chapter 23, which will probably be the last one to be closed, explained the Commission. The next accession conference with Croatia is scheduled for 19 April. The chapters on “regional policy” and “agriculture” could be closed at this meeting. Two other chapters (fisheries and competition) may follow in June. The chapter on the budget will only be able to be tackled once the indicative accession date for Croatia is known. (H.B./transl.fl)