Croatia faces key period in EU talks: Hungarian PM

(ZAGREB) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country holds the European Union's rotating presidency, said here on Tuesday Croatia was facing two key months in the final phase of talks to join the bloc.

"From both Croatia's and EU's aspect we are facing two crucial months" in Zagreb's negotiations to join the 27-nation bloc, Orban told journalists.

"March should be the month of success and in April we should get a miracle date" for the conclusion of EU accession talks, he added.

"If we do no succeed now the accession will be prolonged," said Orban.

His Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor said her country's goal was to wrap up talks by the end of June, when Hungary's EU presidency expires.

"For us it is a historic, strategic goal ... symbolically in a year when we will mark 20 years of independence" from the former Yugoslavia, Kosor said.

Zagreb is due to send a report on progress achieved in judicial reform to Brussels by the end of the week, she added.

Last June Croatia opened the last three of 35 chapters that every country must negotiate before joining the bloc. Zagreb hopes to become EU's 28th fully-fledged member in 2012.

The European Commission will present EU member states with an interim report on Croatia's progress by March 11.

Reform of judiciary, including the fight against corruption, as well as the restructuring of ailing state-owned shipyards are the two main challenges that Zagreb is facing on its EU path.

In the past year Croatia stepped up the fight against corruption. A number of top officials, including former prime minister Ivo Sanader, were charged or sentenced on graft charges.