27. 07. 10. - 13:00

• more General News news...
• RSS Feed General News

27. 07. 10. - 13:00

Croatia closes another two EU chapters

Croatian Times

Croatia closes two additional chapters in Brussels today (Tue) as it nears the end of its European Union accession negotiations.

Chapter 12 on Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy and chapter 32 on Financial Control are expected to be closed today. With these two chapters, Croatia will have closed 22 out of 33, with the majority of the remaining open chapters expected to be finished after the summer break.

Two of the most demanding chapters on judiciary and market competition that were opened recently are likely to be closed at the beginning of 2011. That would conclude Croatia’s EU negotiations before the summit scheduled in March, which means that the anticipated signing of the EU accession agreement in June 2011 remains a realistic goal, the Croatian daily Jutarnji List writes.

The formal opening of EU negotiations with Iceland will also take place today in Brussels.  Iceland was the first state to recognize Croatia’s independence, and will now join it and Turkey, the only other two countries currently in open negotiations.

Steven Vanackere, the Belgium Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that while the EU treats all of the candidate countries equally, Iceland, as a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Schengen, already fulfils most of the criteria.

Earlier estimates that Iceland could enter the EU together with Croatia seem unrealistic now that Croatia is nearing the end of the negotiation process.

Missing Austrian cyclist found by police this morning in Dabar
After an all-night search, police in Lika-Senj county found this morning (Thurs) the 65-year-old Austrian cyclist who had been reported missing by a friend, 41, last night.

Croatian diaspora in Australia wants to invest in homeland
Croatian President Ivo Josipovic met recently with a delegation of Croatian emigrant entrepreneurs from Australia interested in investing in their homeland.

Former president to take Croatian entrepreneurs to Libya
A group of Croatian entrepreneurs may go to Libya this autumn in a visit organized by former Croatian President Stjepan Mesic.

Gotovina´s trial ends after 2.5 years
The trial of three Croatian generals accused of crimes against humanity during the 1990s war in Croatia ended yesterday (Wed) at The Hague after two-and-a-half years.

Poacher caught at the border with 627 dead birds
An Italian was caught at the Jasenovac border crossing with a van containing 627 dead birds of different species on Tuesday.

Two-thirds of Croatians do not believe fair play occurs in football
Almost two-thirds of Croatians believe that some Croatian Football League (HNL) games have been rigged, the latest GfK research shows.

Prime minister wants better economic relations with Libya
Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has expressed satisfaction with her meeting yesterday (Weds) with Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmudi at which the two leaders discussed bilateral economic/commercial cooperation.

Croatian athletes shine at AIFF World Challenge meet in Zagreb
Croatian star athletes Sandra Perkovic and Blanka Vlasic have once again wowed audiences with their remarkable performances at the AIFF World Challenge 2010 over the past two days in Zagreb.

Eighth annual World Theater Festival opens September 17 in Zagreb
The Peeping Tom Collective from Brussels will open the eighth annual World Theater Festival in Zagreb on September 17 with the play "32, Rue Vandenbranden".

Jana bottled water on shelves of second-largest American supermarket chain
Four years after its debut in the American market, Croatian bottled water from the firm Jana is appearing on shelves of the country’s second-largest supermarket chain, Kroger.