Brussels, 04/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - Further to Carla Del Ponte's favourable assessment of the Croatian Government's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and in the wake of the last minute agreement with Turkey (see other article), the General Affairs/External Relations Council finally decided during the night of Monday to Tuesday, in Luxembourg, to give its go-ahead to the immediate opening of accession talks with Croatia. The first ministerial meeting of the accession conference with Croatia was held at once under the chairmanship of Jack Straw and in the presence of Croatia's Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader. What was still unthinkable a few days ago has now been achieved: both candidate countries are able to start talks together. Jack Straw announced to the press on Monday evening that a historic decision had been taken with regard to Croatia and that accession talks have begun. He said he was relieved to note that Croatia had finally met the last condition set, namely that of fully cooperating with the ICTY in The Hague. The EU has always said that it would begin talks “immediately” after Zagreb meets this criterion. Now it has been done, and the EU has kept its promise, Straw said. Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn also welcomed the happy outcome of the Croatian dossier but stressed the fact that continued full and complete cooperation with the ICTY will remain a requirement for further progress in the membership process. In his view, the pressure exerted by the EU on the Croatian authorities so that they improve their cooperation with the ICTY has had the desired effect in everyone's interest. “All this proves that our policy of conditionality works in the Western Balkans”, Mr Rehn said on Tuesday during a press conference in Brussels. He announced that the first stage in talks, the analytical assessment of acquis communautaire (or “screening”) would begin by 20 October. This technical exercise will last about one year but this does not prevent negotiations from being opened in the meantime on chapters on which screening has already been carried out, he explained.
“This is a great day for Croatia”, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader declared. He said he was convinced that opening talks would give fresh impetus to reforms and to adaptation to acquis communautaire - not only in Croatia but in all the other countries of the Western Balkans. “Croatia will now follow a two-way policy”, he told the press in Luxembourg - a policy turned toward EU membership (focusing on accession negotiations) but also a policy turned towards the countries of the Balkans, to help them achieve their European objectives. “The sooner Croatia can join the EU, the sooner the other countries (Serbia and Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia) can do the same”, said Mr Sanader. The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, was delighted with the fact that talks could now start with Croatia, saying: “I am very pleased that accession negotiations with Croatia will start. I look forward to working closely with our Croatian partners on the many and varied issues which will inevitably come up in the negotiations”.
The European People's Party (EPP) welcomed the “historic” decision on Croatia. “The EPP asked the EU to start accession negotiations with Croatia on March 2005 because we were convinced that the Croatian authorities were fully cooperating with the ICTY (…). We welcome the fact that, finally, the EU has recognised these efforts”, EPP President Wilfried Martens said.
The EP Socialist Group also hailed the decision by the Twenty-Five, saying that opening negotiations with Croatia sends a powerful signal to the other countries of South East Europe.
The ALDE Group at the EP expressed surprise that, just three days after her visit to Zagreb (after which she had spoken of her “disappointment” during a press conference there), Carla Del Ponte had finally given Monday's General Affairs/External Relations Council a particularly favourable opinion on Zagreb's cooperation with the ICTY. “What has suddenly changed?”, the leader of the group, Graham Watson, asks in a press release. Although in favour of Croatia's membership, Mr Watson criticises “all forms of secrecy” surrounding Ms Del Ponte's assessment and the circumstances in which the decision in favour of membership talks was taken. “I call on Jack Straw, Carla Del Ponte and the Council of Ministers to be honest and open about the deal they struck last night”, said Mr Watson.
Green MEP Milan Horácek, member of the delegation for relations with Croatia, also spoke of an “important day for the whole of the Balkans region”. The reform process must, however, be carried out with commitment he stressed.