(ZAGREB) - The World Bank approved a 1.8 billion dollar (1.3 billion euro) lending programme to Croatia to help the Balkan country's EU bid, a statement said Wednesday.

The four-year partnership strategy, which was approved by the World Bank in Washington on Tuesday, would "support Croatia's EU accession process," the statement said.

"Croatia has made tremendous political and economic progress over the past 15 years," said Orsalia Kalantzopoulos, the World Bank's Croatia country director.

The partnership would focus on macroeconomic stability, private sector-led growth, education, health and the environment.

Croatia, which opened membership negotiations in 2005, hopes to join the EU sometime around 2010.

Since 1993 when the country became a World Bank member, it has received support worth 2.3 billion dollars.

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