Brussels, 02/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - As announced (see EUROPE 9987), Croatia made a huge breakthrough in its EU accession talks at a ministerial conference in Brussels on 2 October 2009. Six new negotiating chapters have been opened (free circulation of capital, agriculture, food security, taxation, regional policy and justice/freedom/security) and five have been concluded (free circulation of workers, company law, statistics, trans-European networks and customs union). In total, Croatia has now opened 28 of the 35 chapters, 12 of which are provisionally closed. After ten months of deadlock due to a border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia, the re-opening of negotiations is a “significant breakthrough” in Croatia's accession process, commented Carl Bildt, Olli Rehn and the Croatian and Slovenian foreign ministers, Gordan Jandrokovic and Samuel Zbogar respectively. (H.B./transl.fl)