Date of release : 23-03-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : European Council

The European Council of 22 and 23 March supported the creation of a task force to report on Croatia's progress in meeting the conditions for opening accession negotiations with the European Union.

The task force would be chaired by the current President of the Council of the European Union and Luxembourg Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean Asselborn, and include High Representative Javier Solana, the European Commission and representatives of the future British and Austrian presidencies.

The task force would consult both with the Croatian authorities and with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and report to the General Affairs Council of the European Union.

According to the President of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, the conclusions of the General Affaires Council of 16 March 2005 on Croatia "have not been changed by the European Council and remain in force". He added that it is the "Council itself that will decide when the moment has come to open accession negotiations with Croatia."

The President of the Council stressed that the creation of this group "cannot constitute a precedent for coming years" and that the Commission "will not be deprived be it only of a part of its monitoring competences in the enlargement process."