Zagreb, 9 September 2008 – At the meeting held today with Ivo Sanader,
the Prime Minister of Croatia, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip confirmed
that Estonia supports the integration of Croatia with the European
Union and NATO.
According to Prime Minister Ansip, the progress of Croatia on the way
towards NATO and the European Union has been remarkable, and Estonia
supports the course of reforms in Croatia. According to Estonia, the
further expansion of the European Union is possible and necessary, even
without the Lisbon Treaty. “Estonia has consistently supported
expansion. We are convinced that the promises made to Croatia must be
kept and the expansion process continued,” Ansip stated. According to
him, the stability and development of the West-Balkans is important for
Estonia, and the continuation of the Euro-Atlantic cooperation will
definitely contribute to ensuring it. At the meeting, Prime
Minister Ansip also stressed the responsibility of accession countries
towards the success of the expansion of these organisations. “In the
meeting of European Union accession criteria, the commitment of the
country itself and a well performed homework are the most important
factors,” said Ansip, referring to the experience of Estonia in joining
international organisations. According to him, a lot of work must be
done for the accession, instead of hoping for any concessions by the
European Union at the last minute. “The European Union does not make
any concessions,” Ansip assured. According to Ansip, the
accession process of Croatia affects all other countries that are
already moving towards the European Union or still dreaming about it.
“The faster and smoother the accession of Croatia, which is at the
front of the queue, the faster the accession of other existing and
potential accession countries,” he added. Work with public opinion,
both at home and among NATO and EU accession countries, is also
important for justifying the Euro-Atlantic integration attempts of
Croatia and identifying the plans for the future. In addition,
the potential termination of the OSCE mission in Croatia was discussed.
Ansip gave assurance that, in Estonia’s opinion, the time is right to
terminate the OSCE mission in Croatia. Estonia has previous experience
in the termination of an OSCE mission, and is ready to share it. Croatia
received an invitation to join NATO at the Bucharest summit held in
April 2008; Croatia wishes to conclude accession negotiations with the
European Union at the end of 2009.
Zagreb, 9 September 2008 – At the meeting held today with Ivo Sanader,
the Prime Minister of Croatia, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip confirmed
that Estonia supports the integration of Croatia with the European
Union and NATO.