Croatian President Ivo Josipovic on Thursday said his country would be ready to join the European Union soon, as he expected accession negotiations to be completed by the end of July, according to dpa. "That is realistic, because Croatia is carrying out serious reforms," Josipovic told German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The president is on a state visit to Germany, where he is due to meet his counterpart Christian Wulff and Chancellor Angela Merkel. "Croatia is better prepared for EU accession than other joining countries were," Josipovic said. At the same time he acknowledged that "some reforms are coming late." "Of course it would have been better if reforms in the ship- building industry and agriculture had taken effect sooner," he said, adding that the social impact of cutting subsidies had to be taken into account. "Croatia cannot afford to waste time, this country has the strength to reform and the citizens are waiting for it," Josipovic said. In particular he stressed the importance of tackling corruption - but added that this problem extended to EU member states. "Our relations with Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, Austria and Germany are very close. However this is also evident with regard to corruption," Josipovic said. "There is no major corruption case in Croatia that is not associated with corruption in EU states." The long-winded EU membership negotiations had reduced Croatian enthusiasm for joining the 27-member bloc, Josipovic conceded. "If you constantly hear criticism from the EU - even if it is justified - and keep being put off for another year or two, that is frustrating," he said. "Within the EU, it must also become clear why Croatia's membership is important and helpful for the EU." German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Croatia was "a bridge of stability in the Balkan region," at a meeting Wednesday with his Croatian counterpart Gordan Jandrokovic. Croatia was "in the final metres" of negotiations to join the EU, the foreign minister added.
