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Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Jan. 30 that Italy plans to ratify the Stabilization and Association Agreement -- the first step toward EU membership -- for Croatia. Berlusconi also said he expects the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to follow suit.
Germany, Croatia's best ally in the European Union, would like to improve its influence in the Balkans. The continued reluctance from London and The Hague to ratify the agreement over what they see as Croatia's low level of cooperation with the war crimes tribunal could cause even more political turmoil in the European Union and scuttle recent cooperation between Germany and Britain.
The agreement in question offers economic incentives to nonmember countries in exchange for political and economic reforms in line with EU values, policies and institutions. These agreements draw nonmembers closer to the EU and mark the first step on the path to eventual membership. All current member countries, however, must ratify the Stabilization and Association agreements before they take effect.
Zagreb desperately wants EU membership and hopes the union will extend an invitation to begin accession negotiations at its summit in June. Most of Central Europe will join in May, and Bulgaria and Romania likely will enter in 2007. Once these countries join, Croatia will be left outside in the company of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro. Croatia, with a per capita GDP roughly three times greater than those of Balkan states, does not consider itself in the same camp as these countries, some of which barely can function and have no hope of EU entry anytime soon.
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