EUobserver.com

Croatia took a further step towards EU membership on Monday (21 April) by starting talks on energy and transport with the 27-nation bloc.

The two new policy areas represent the 17th and 18th chapters of the 35-chapter negotiations package that has to be concluded between the two sides before Zagreb can join the EU.

"This is a good and strong statement which gives us more courage and optimism for the months ahead of us," Croatia's chief negotiator with the EU Vladimir Drobnjak was quoted as saying by daily Javno.

The former Yugoslav country is pushing to conclude membership talks with Brussels by 2009 so that it can become the EU's 28th member state by 2011.

But so far it has only ‘closed' two chapters – where Croatian law in a particular area is in line with EU law – and 17 have yet to be opened.

Brussels has said it is looking for more progress by Croatia in certain key areas, particularly judicial reform, public administration and the fight against corruption.

Croatia, along with Turkey, formally opened EU accession talks in 2005 while Macedonia was granted candidate country status.

Turkey far behind
Zagreb is well ahead of Turkey in the negotiations. Ankara has only opened talks on six out of 35 policy areas – or chapters – so far, and has provisionally closed one chapter.

In addition, talks on eight chapters connected with the bloc's customs union have been frozen, due to Ankara's persistent failure to meet its commitments to Cyprus - namely allowing Cypriot ships and planes to enter Turkey's ports and airspace.

Turkey does not recognise the Greek government in the southern part of the island, divided since 1974, and is the only country to recognise its northern Turkish section.

Recently, European Commission President Jose-Manuel Barroso called this problem "the main obstacle for significant progress in Turkey's accession process."

In addition to Turkey's problems with meeting some EU criteria, certain EU countries – including France, Germany and Austria – are clearly opposed to Ankara's EU bid and suggest that an alternative form of partnership should be found with the Eurasian country.

"I could imagine a tailor-made Turkish-European community as another rational, realistic alternative," Austria's foreign minister Ursula Plassnik said on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, accession talks with Skopje have not yet started. The EU earlier this year set a number of conditions that Macedonia should meet before this step will be taken. It is due to assess the country's progress in November.

Croatia takes further step towards EU membership