EC envoy assesses Croatia’s EU accession talks

The head of the EU delegation to Croatia, Paul Vandoren, said on Friday (August 20th) that the successful completion of judicial reforms and the privatisation of state-owned shipyards will be key to completing the country’s EU accession negotiations. The judiciary and privatisation chapters are among the last three opened on June 30th. Croatia has managed to close 22 out of 33 chapters. After talks with Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, Vandoren praised the government’s efforts to fight corruption and said it can count on the full support of the European Commission in meeting conditions for concluding the negotiations. Kosor voiced optimism that Croatia’s accession treaty will be signed during the first half of next year.