Croatian official expects EU talks to wrap in 2011

Croatia should complete its EU accession talks in the first half of 2011, several months later than expected, Croatian State Secretary for European Integration Andrej Plenkovic said in an interview Thursday (July 22nd) with Reuters. He predicted that the negotiations could end by March, and that his country could sign the accession treaty during Hungary’s turn at the helm of the rotating EU presidency, which runs through the end of June. Plenkovic added Croatia still expects to join the bloc in 2012. He was in Brussels meeting with Belgian State Secretary for European Affairs Olivier Chastel.