He expressed understanding for Croatia’s positions on the need to separate bilateral issues from the accession negotiations, adding that the Netherlands and Germany have an outstanding border issue since the 14th century, which has in no way impeded their cooperation within the EU.
State Secretary Božinović thanked Director-General de Jong for the significant bilateral assistance the Netherlands has been offering Croatia, while Director-General de Jong congratulated Croatia on today’s NATO accession.
State Secretary Božinović also stated the Croatian institutions’ willingness to carry out the remaining internal reforms, namely in justice and market competition.
The meeting also discussed the process of informing the citizens about the merits of joining the EU, as well as about the functioning of the state administration once Croatia becomes an EU member.