Members of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee consider that EU membership negotiations with Croatia can be completed in the first half of 2011 provided its reforms stay on the right track. The biggest challenge remains, however, in obtaining support from the population, who is still skeptical about the benefits of EU membership.

MEPs consider that the reforms undertaken by Croatia in relation to certain changes to the constitution – necessary for EU accession, as well as some changes to the judiciary, are on track and could result in the completion of negotiations in the first half of 2011, an accession which was requested by Croatia back in 2003. However, and despite its collaboration with the International Crime Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is well under way, MEPs have also stressed that tribunal's request for some documents is still pending and requested to Croatian authorities full cooperation with ICTY, as the Parliament recently did in the Serbian case, for the sake of the success of the negotiations.

Some pending reforms to conclude accession negotiations with Croatia

Although Croatian authorities have made significant efforts in pursuing corruption in the country, investigating cases which affect two former ministers and one former prime minister, the general opinion is that this still remains one of the main problems for the country. Controlling corruption and a complex reform of public administration are two unresolved issues regarding accession negotiations.

Further efforts are needed in addition to the policies supporting the return of refugees and the implementation of restructuring plans for public shipyards in difficulties in order to close the competition chapter of the negotiations. Although the situation has improved in regarding the return of refugees and relations with returning Serbs have improved, it will be necessary to apply measures for social integration and reconstruction plans.

But the most important difficulty towards Croatia's accession will still be to overcome the reluctance of Croatian population to the country's entry into the European Union, since according to a recent survey the majority of Croats do not see a benefit in that. Parliament called on Croatian authorities and civil society to mobilize as gaining the population's support and making them feeling that the European project is also their project will be critical for a successful accession process.