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Published: 08 November 2010
Zagreb closed three additional chapters in its EU accession talks on Friday (5 November), leaving nine more to be negotiated before rounding up the talks, the HINA news agency reported.
Zagreb closed three additional chapters in its EU accession talks on Friday (5 November), leaving nine more to be negotiated before rounding up the talks, the HINA news agency reported.
Last week, Croatia closed the chapters related to "free movement of capital," "transport policy" and "institutions".
Croatia has now provisionally closed 25 chapters, leaving the country with nine more areas to be closed, or ten if the policy area "other issues" is counted.
The chapters "institutions" and "other issues" are different in substance, because they do not contain any European legislation which national laws must be adjusted to comply with.
"Institutions" defines how the future EU member state will be represented in the EU institutions, while "other issues" often deals with arrangements made when the full picture of the accession talks becomes clear.
In the "free movement of capital" chapter, Croatia was given an important transitional period which delays the free sale of farmland to EU citizens. Exemption from EU rules on free trade in farmland will last for seven years from the day of Croatia's accession to the EU.
After the end of the seven-year period, Croatia will be able to ask for another three years, but it will have to back its request with strong arguments.
In fact, all Eastern European countries have negotiated seven-year transitional periods banning land purchases by foreigners in an effort to prevent wealthy European investors from buying up large chunks of arable land in the poorer new member state.
On the "transport policy" chapter, transitional arrangements were adopted to protect EU transporters from cheaper 'cabotage' services offered by Croatian freight companies. Cabotage refers to the transportation of goods or passengers between two points in the same country by a vessel or an aircraft registered in another country.
Out of 35 chapters, 34 have been opened since the start of negotiations, and 25 have been provisionally closed. An accession conference is planned later this year in order to take the process forward.
Commission President José Manuel Barroso warned on 25 October that the chapter on "judiciary and fundamental rights" was seen by Brussels as a key test for the country's accession.
Diplomats also said that before closing accession talks, Croatia would have to convince EU countries of its full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Next Steps
9 Nov.: Commission to unveil its yearly report on Croatia’s progress towards accession
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Background
Croatia hopes to wrap up its accession negotiations next spring and sign an accession treaty with the EU by the end of the Hungarian Presidency, which follows after the current Belgian one.
Ratification of the accession treaty by all EU member states would then see Croatia join the Union.
In February 2003, Croatia formally presented its EU membership application. In April of the following year, the European Commission agreed to open accession negotiations.
The process was delayed in March 2005 when the EU questioned Croatia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). It was interrupted again in 2008 over a border dispute with Slovenia, which was resolved by arbitration and supported by a referendum in Slovenia.
Croatia hopes to wrap up its accession negotiations next spring and sign an accession treaty with the EU by the end of the Hungarian Presidency, which follows after the current Belgian one.
Ratification of the accession treaty by all EU member states would then see Croatia join the Union.
In February 2003, Croatia formally presented its EU membership application. In April of the following year, the European Commission agreed to open accession negotiations.
The process was delayed in March 2005 when the EU questioned Croatia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). It was interrupted again in 2008 over a border dispute with Slovenia, which was resolved by arbitration and supported by a referendum in Slovenia.
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