EU to assess Croatia bid for membership

European Union foreign ministers formally asked the EU's executive Commission yesterday to assess Croatia's readiness to join the bloc.

The former Yugoslav republic lodged its application for EU membership in February.

"We highly welcome the decision... to start application procedures for Croatia," said EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenther Verheugen.

"The earliest result of our analysis will be in one year," he told a news conference, adding that the European Commission's report on Croatia would be "full and fair".

A positive assessment would open the way for Zagreb to begin accession talks, a process likely to take several more years.

"We now have a chance to jump on a train that until recently we only watched going past," a senior Croatian government official told Reuters.

Prime Minister Ivica Racan told state radio yesterday EU entry was Croatia's "top strategic goal".

"The government will be working around the clock in the next few months to answer all the queries," he said.

The EU has in the past accused Croatia of not cooperating enough with an international tribunal set up to prosecute war criminals from the 1991-95 Balkan wars, but it has praised Zagreb's commitment to economic and political reforms. Other key political criteria under scrutiny are the return of refugees and reform of the judiciary and state media. Mr Racan said his reformist cabinet was working on those issues, which needed "deep reforms that cannot be done overnight".

He added: "But we have to know that we will be further assessed on those issues until we enter the union."

Ten mostly ex-communist countries will sign an EU accession treaty tomorrow in a ceremony in Athens. They are set to join the bloc on May 1, 2004.

Bulgaria and Romania aim to join the EU in 2007 and the 13th candidate country, Turkey, is implementing reforms aimed at winning a date to start accession talks after 2004.

Zagreb officials have said they aim to join either together with Romania and Bulgaria or in 2008. "In any case, we would like to enter before the next election for the European Parliament in 2009," a Croatian diplomat told Reuters.