Speaking yesterday after an intergovernmental conference in Brussels, Croatia's chief negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak stated that free movement of goods is one of the most important chapters in terms of the EU's internal market.
Drobnjak said the closure of the chapter "speaks volumes" about Croatia's progress and readiness to take on the acquis communautaire – the body of EU law.
Croatia, which is set to become the first country to join the European Union since Romania and Bulgaria did so in 2007, is aiming to complete its accession negotiations by the end of the year (EurActiv 11/02/10).
Attention will now turn to the three legislative chapters that are yet to be opened: competition, the judiciary and fundamental rights, and foreign, security and defence policy.
Chapter 24 - labelled 'Justice, Freedom and Security' - is seen as particularly challenging, as Croatia needs to convince the EU that it is effectively fighting organised crime and corruption. In addition, the country must convince the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), as well as sceptical countries like the Netherlands, that it is not harbouring "skeletons in the closet" from the recent fratricide wars in the Balkans (EurActiv 26/11/09).
Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession in January 2007 was accompanied by a monitoring mechanism designed to guide those countries' progress in the field of law enforcement, but Croatia should join without such a tool, Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner Štefan Füle recently told EurActiv in an interview (EurActiv 30/03/10).
Yet Drobnjak was keen to stress the significance of this week's closure, pointing out that Croatia has now completed negotiations on the free movement of goods, persons and services.
The chapter on the free movement of capital should be closed in the near future, he added – which will complete negotiations on the EU's so-called 'four freedoms'.
Drobnjak also stated that Chapter 16 on taxation is "virtually ready" and will be finalised in the next two weeks, while he expects the chapters on public procurement, food safety and transport policy to be next in line.
