Brussels, 14/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - Short of some unforeseen event during the procedures for ratifying its treaty of accession, Croatia will become the 28th member state of the EU, probably on 1 July 2013. A further step towards this momentous occasion was taken on Wednesday 14 September with the agreement reached in COREPER (committee of permanent representatives of the member states to the EU) on an English version of the consolidated text of the treaty of accession of Croatia to the EU. Croatia completed accession negotiations on 20 June (see EUROPE 10409).
The treaty of accession, which runs to some 350 pages, will have to be translated by lawyer linguists into the 23 official EU languages. The European Commission will deliver an opinion on the treaty of accession and the European Parliament will be required to approve the text in plenary session on 1 December. The General Affairs Council of 5 December will then formally adopt the treaty of accession. Parliamentary elections will take place in Croatia on 4 December.
Thereafter the treaty of accession will have to be officially signed by the parties “before the end of the year”, according to the Polish Presidency of the EU Council. Finally it will have to be ratified by the national parliaments of the 27 member states and by the Croatian parliament. The timetable is somewhat tight but it should be possible for Croatia to join the EU on 1 July 2013. EU countries will, at the same time, have to ratify post-Lisbon Treaty protocols for Ireland and the Czech Republic. The European Council decided that ratification of these protocols would be carried concurrently with the next treaty of accession. (L.C./transl.rt)