EU leaders welcome Croatia

24.06.2011 | Brussels

EU leaders today welcomed Croatia's efforts to complete its negotiations to join the European Union.

In a statement issued on the second day of their summit  in Brussels, the European Council invited the officials to take all necessary decisions for the conclusion of the accession negotiations with Croatia by the end of June 2011 on the basis of the draft common positions recently presented by the Commission, with a view to the signing of the Accession Treaty before the end of the year.

The accession treaty will be signed after the completion of the negotiations, during Poland's EU presidency in the second half of the year, followed by ratification in the parliaments of the member states. Thirty days within the signing of the treaty, Croatia is expected to hold a referendum on EU accession.