EU ENLARGEMENT was not an issue in the Lisbon Treaty referendum campaign, Taoiseach Brian Cowen assured Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader at a bilateral meeting in Government Buildings yesterday.
This was their first meeting, although Dr Sanader had previously visited Ireland in 2006.
The main focus of the discussion was on Croatia’s accession negotiations.
Dr Sanader informed the Taoiseach of the substantial progress achieved by Croatia this year.
And he emphasised Croatia’s strong wish to see a timetable agreed this year for its accession to the EU.
A Government statement continued: “The Taoiseach commended Croatia for the significant reforms that had been implemented to date, and looked forward to an acceleration of reforms as Croatia enters the final challenging stages of its accession negotiations.”
The Taoiseach assured Dr Sanader of Ireland’s full support for Croatian membership of the EU.
Mr Cowen said he believed that the Lisbon Treaty result would have no impact on the negotiation process, and he encouraged the Croatian government to maintain the momentum of reform.
The two leaders also discussed regional issues, the financial crisis and further strengthening of bilateral relations.