Croatia committed to joining EU, premier Sanader says

Visiting Stockholm on Tuesday, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said that Zagreb was still pushing to join the European Union by the end of 2009. "Our ambition is to finish the negotiations during the Swedish (EU) presidency," Sanader told a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

The  main accession requirements for Croatian entrance listed by the European Commission are: dealing with organized crime and corruption, reforming the judical system and ending state aid to its shipyards.

Sanader said Zagreb was "very determined to join the EU," and was, for instance, preparing international proposals for all six shipyards and keeping the European Commission and trade unions up to date with progress.