ZAGREB, March 1 (Reuters) — Croatia's aim to draw closer to affluent Western Europe got a boost on Friday when a European Union official said the Balkan state was on the right path to qualify for Council of Europe membership.
A place in the Council is the first step towards lucrative links with the 15-nation European Union that could result in full EU membership.
Pierre van den Linden, rapporteur for the Council of Europe's assembly, said after talks in Zagreb on Friday that he personally thought there should be no obstacles to Croatia's admission.
"The situation is not ideal but Croatia is on the right path to fulfil the main demands for admission,'' he said. The Council should decide by March 19 whether it will consider Croatia's admission at its plenary session in April, he added. "I hope Croatia can become a member as soon as possible."
Croatia has been seeking western economic links since its 1992 recognition as an independent state after breaking from Yugoslavia. But it has encountered EU doubts about its human rights record and transition from communism to democracy.
President Franjo Tudjman's autocratic style of rule is known to worry some EU leaders.
But Tudjman built important new bridges with the EU by signing the Dayton peace accord on Bosnia in December and accepting a U.N. mandate to peacefully return the last Serb-held piece of Croatia to Zagreb's rule.
Croatia Relying On the United States for Diplomatic Support
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