The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr William Hague)
On 30 June Croatia’s EU accession negotiations were provisionally closed at an intergovernmental conference on accession of Croatia to the EU. EU common positions on the relevant negotiating chapters will be formally adopted at a Ministerial Council in July. I expect Croatia’s accession treaty to be signed by the end of 2011. The Government will then introduce the treaty for ratification by Parliament.
I welcome this important step. It represents the achievement of an historic goal for Croatia, which together with its commitment to continued reform shows the way for other countries of the western Balkans in pursuing their European future.
Croatia’s EU accession negotiations closed at an intergovernmental accession conference on 30 June. This has been widely covered in the press. It is likely that the ECOFIN on 12 July will formally adopt (without discussion) the last four common positions agreeing to close chapters 8 (Competition), 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights), 33 (Financial and Budgetary Provisions) and 35 (Other Issues). A written ministerial statement (WMS) would inform Parliament of closure on 30 June, and would alert them to its future involvement during the ratification process.