§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to support Croatia's proposed accession to the(a) European Union and (b) World Trade Organisation; and if he will make a statement. [125377]
§ Mr. VazHer Majesty's Government fully support the EU's Stabilisation and Association process, designed to build stability and prosperity in South East Europe. The 1999 Cologne European Council confirmed that Stabilisation and Association Agreements will offer
a prospect of European Union membership on the basis of the Amsterdam Treaty and fulfilment of the criteria defined at the Copenhagen European Council.The Commission has produced a study on the feasibility of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Croatia recommending that the EU open up negotiations on an Agreement.
We welcome the Commission's effort to reach agreement on the terms of Croatia's WTO accession. Following recent developments, we understand that the key outstanding issues surrounding a market access package have been resolved. We hope that this should open the way to Croatia's accession to the WTO in the near future.