EU entry talks with Croatia could start in April

While all eyes are on the possible launch of Turkey's EU entry talks, Croatia is moving closer to deciding a date to start negotiations with the EU at this week's EU summit.

Following a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on Monday (13 December), Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot told a news conference that negotiations could open with Croatia as early as April, provided Croatia cooperates fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

"Negotiations could be opened around April 2005, when the Council anticipates that Croatia will fully co-operate with the ICTY", said Mr Bot.

Croatia has promised to do its utmost to arrest former Croatian army General, Ante Gotovina and hand him to the Tribunal in the Hague. Mr Gotovina is accused of ordering the massacre of Croatian Serbs in 1995.

The pressure on Croatia to find and arrest Mr Gotovina has however provoked some negative feeling towards the European Union, as many Croatians perceive him as a hero rather than a war criminal.

Croatian premier Ivo Sanader said recently, according to the European Voice, that he believed "that Gotovina was innocent" but that "he has to prove this in front of the Hague Tribunal".

Drop in support

In general support for EU membership has fallen dramatically in Croatia over the past year.

According to a poll by the Puls agency, conducted in September, just under half (49 percent) of those questioned backed accession, while 41 percent of the respondents were opposed to joining the EU.

This represents a massive drop in support for EU membership since January, when more than 70 percent of voters supported joining the EU.

Croatia is a relatively small country with 4.5 million inhabitants, bordering Hungary and Slovenia to the North.

Border disputes with Slovenia could become another bone of contention.

Croatia continues to lay claim to most of the territorial waters along Slovenia's coast, effectively denying Slovenia full access to international waters.

The two countries signed an accord covering the disputes in 2001, but Croatia has since declined to ratify it.

A decision to launch membership negotiations with Croatia could be taken at the EU summit this week with a view to Croatia joining the EU possibly in 2009.