Minister Gordan Jandroković received Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen

Talking about the process of Croatia’s EU accession, Minister Jandroković familiarized Minister Verhagen with the current state of the negotiations, pointing out that full-fledged EU membership remains one of the Croatian foreign policy’s priorities and that Croatia is determined to complete the technical part of the negotiations by the end of this European Commission’s mandate.

Minister Jandroković said he believes the EC will recognize Croatia’s progress, which should be seen in its next Progress Report too. He said Croatia will conduct all of the necessary reforms and meet the political criteria, stressing Croatia’s readiness to continue with the war on corruption and organized crime, as well as with the justice reform.

Talking about Croatia’s NATO accession, Minister Jandroković informed Minister Verhagen with the current state of the ratification of the Protocol on NATO Enlargement to Croatia, adding it was already ratified by the parliaments of Hungary, Latvia, the US, and Lithuania. Minister Verhagen promised that the Dutch Government will do everything, despite a complicated procedure, to ratify the Protocol in a timely manner.

Minister Jandroković thanked his Dutch counterpart for the assistance the Netherlands have extended Croatia through financial support and other EU programs. The Netherlands are also one of the biggest bilateral assistance donators to Croatia, aimed at meeting the EU standards. Since 2005, that assistance has topped €5 million.

Noting the two countries’ economic co-operation, which is growing ever more intensive, Minister Jandroković stated the openness for Dutch investment. Between 1993 and March 2008, Dutch investment in Croatia totalled €2.7 billion, which places the Netherlands second among the top investors in Croatia. During the same period, Croatia invested €350 million, placing the Netherlands second among the countries Croatia invests in directly.

Croatia also supports the further development of the two countries’ co-operation in tourism. In 2007, 265,000 Dutch tourists visited Croatia, while the January-July 2008 period marked a 16% increase.

After giving press statements at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Ministers Jandroković and Verhagen attended the presentation of brochure The Kingdom of the Netherlands and Croatia, on the European Road Together at the residence of the Dutch ambassador to Croatia.

On that occasion, Minister Jandroković said that the relations between the two countries are continually progressing, as stated in said publication as well. He pointed out that the reputation Croatia is enjoying in the international community today is the result of a joint effort between Croatia and its EU partners, as well as the support by the Euro-Atlantic community as a whole.

Ministers Jandroković and Verhagen signed today at Banski Dvori, together with World Bank Country Manager for Croatia Andras Horvai, the Letter of Intent between the Republic of Croatia, World Bank, and Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on Financing the Justice Reform Project. Minister Jandroković thanked the Dutch Government for the assistance and participation in the €1-million-worth project.

The signing of the Letter of Intent marks the beginning of a three-way co-operation on the Project and is a testimony to the exceptionally good relations between the Republic of Croatia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which will certainly aid a successful completion of the justice reform in Croatia, said Minister Jandroković.