Summary of lecture of Mr. Starcevic from the Croatian Embassy in Sarajevo.
Regional experiences towards the EU: the Croatian experience

Mr. Starcevic briefly tells the history of the relations between the EU & Western Balkans:

2000 SAP: Stabilisation and Association Process, with Stabilisation and Association Agreements

2001 Thessalonniki Euro Summit

• one day all the 5 Balkan countries will be part of the EU
• European Partnership: Eureopean agreement to facillitate accession to EU
• CARDS program 2 milion Euro to SAP countries to facilitate reforms

24 May 2000, EC adopts feasabillity study: HR can become SAP partner

19 October2001 SAA signed by EU 15

21 February 2003, HR applies for EU membership

20 April 2004, EC recommended HR to be candidate country: Copenhaguen Criteria have been met

18 June 2004, European Council agrees HR to be candidate country, negotiations will start early 2005

18 December 2004, decission on date start negotiations of chapters of Acquis Communautaire

Croatia aims to have finnished negotiations by 2007.

No visa requirements for eachother citizens, national identitycard is sufficicient

HR is 1st trade partner for BiH, biggest investor as well

BiH is 5th trade partner for HR

At the moment, efforts are made for the Transport Corridor 5c: the highway from Budapest via Osijek and Sarajevo to Ploce, at the Adriatic coast.

Question by Theijs van Welij: Since AEGEE stands for promoting Higher Education and European integration via cultural exchanges, hasis Croatia already signed the Bologna treaty and is there any policy of the Croatian authorities in supporting youth exchanges like in AEGEE?

About the Bologna process, i dont know, I have to ask a collegue, about exchanges: if yo submit a concrete project description, we can do something for AEGEE.

Question by Christoph Duer: what are the most important things for Croatioa to work on?

Cooperation with the ICTY, Reginal cooperation and fighting corruption. Agriculture will be a bit of a burden from financial point of view.

Question by Niels Hoffman: Can you learn from the other Candidate countries that entered last May?

HR was invited to several meetings of the candidate countries, and works at specific fields together with countries like Poland, Hungaria and Germany

Question by Niels Hoffman: What is your opion regarding the accession of Turkey to the EU?

We support the possitive recommendation of the EC at 6 October, the European Council will decide on that in December, and we follow that.

Question by Chris Taylor: How do you see your relation with international institutions other than EU?

-HR would like to become non regular member of the UN security council 2008-2009

-HR aims to become a fullflashed member of NATO

-HR takes over some cases of the ICTY, since her policy is to transfer cases to domestic juridicies, both in HR as in BiH

These minutes taken by Theijs van Welij

© 2004 AEGEE Sarajevo and the IPWG. http://www.aegee.org/eue - eue(at)aegee.org