(dpa) - Croatia will undertake the reforms required by the European Union so that it can become the bloc's 28th member in 2010, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said Thursday.
"We will do everything that is required of us," Jandrokovic said after holding talks in Berlin with German Foreign Minister Frank- Walter Steinmeier.
The EU wants Croatia to step up judicial and public administration reform as well as the fight against corruption by the end of June in order to keep to the timetable that would enable entry talks to be completed by November 2009.
"The ball is our court," Jandrokovic said. "I am convinced that we will achieve our goal."
Steinmeier said Croatia's talks with the EU "are making good progress," after the latest stumbling block was removed - the suspension of a fishing dispute with neighbouring Slovenia.
Croatia opened entry talks with the EU in 2005, but negotiations have proceeded slowly up to now.
Steinmeier also congratulated Croatia for the entry invitation it received last week to join NATO.
Both ministers underscored the need to intensify efforts to stabilize the situation in Kosovo, the predominantly Albanian province which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on February 17.
Steinmeier said the Kosovo issue would play an important role in the Serbian parliamentary elections due to take place on May 11.
Steinmeier and Jandrokovic expressed the hope that pro-European fores would prevail over Serb nationalists in the vote.