Croatia makes steps toward EU membership

(BRUSSELS) - Croatia took fresh steps towards EU membership on Tuesday with the opening of talks in six more policy areas, meaning a third of the 35 adhesion chapters have now been opened since 2005.

"The opening of these six chapters sends a strong signal... It's a real breakthrough," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency till the end of the month.

"I trust this cruising speed will be continued during the Portuguese presidency," added EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.

Croatian Foreign Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic expressed hope that "two-thirds" of the policy chapters could be opened by year's end and that 2008 would be the year in which benchmarks are reached and chapters closed.

"We expect 2009 to be the year when we achieve readiness for accession, meaning concluding negotiations, signing the accession treaty and beginning the accession process," she said.

EU member states hope in 2009 to conclude a new treaty -- the outline of which was agreed over at a summit over the weekend -- that would allow the bloc to expand beyond its current 27 nations by streamlining its institutions.

The chapters opened with Croatia on Tuesday were right of establishment and freedom to provide services, company law, financial services, information society and media, statistics and financial control.

Four chapters were opened in March, and two last year for Croatia, which is in prime position to become the next EU member state and the second from the former Yugoslavia after Slovenia.