Croatia “to join EU in 2012”

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor confirmed that the EU will begin putting together the Accession Treaty for Zagreb on Monday.

She said that it is looking more and more likely that Croatia will join the European Union in 2012.

Kosor confirmed that Croatia expects that the EU Ministers will support the Swedish presidency’s recommendation for beginning to put together the Accession Agreement for Croatia on Monday.

“Since the negotiations have been unfrozen, there will be 16 closed chapters and 31 open ones by the end of the year. In this year, we finished 82 laws and we only have two more left for the end of the year, which will wrap up this large job,” she said.

The Swedish presidency called on the Union Council to create a so-called “ad hoc” working group for putting together the draft accession agreement for Croatia joining the EU.

The ministers are expected to be joined by Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, however, since Croatia has not given the Hague Tribunal certain documents demanded by the court.

Because of this, countries including Holland and Great Britain are refusing to give the green light for the opening of negotiations in the legislature and basic rights chapter with Croatia.