BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- The European Union and Croatia on Friday concluded accession negotiations and thus, the Balkan country will become the 28th Member State of the organization in 2013.

"We concluded today that the accession negotiations with Croatia have reached their final stage," said Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council. "It is a milestone for Croatia and for the Western Balkans as a whole."

The European Council expects that the negotiations will conclude by the end of June which will allow the Accession Treaty to be signed before the end of the year. Croatia was represented in the talks by its Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.

"We stand on the verge of a historic moment for Croatia and for the Western Balkans as a whole, and also for the European Union," said Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, President of the European Commission. "I would like to pay particular tribute to Prime Minister Kosor for her work and leadership over the last months."

On June 10, the European Commission urged the Council to conclude accession negotiations with Croatia. The Western Balkan country still has to meet benchmarks to demonstrate its preparedness to join the EU.

Furthermore, the Commission expects that Croatia will become the 28th EU Member State by July 1, 2013. In the meantime, the Croatian government will continue its reform efforts, in particular in regards to judiciary and fundamental rights.

"Croatia has turned the fundamentals of the State inside out to be fully aligned with European standards. It performed impressively through the past months - even up until the last weeks and days," added Van Rompuy.

The Commission set some reforms that had to be met by the Croatian government in order to continue the accession process, including the fight against corruption, prosecution of war criminals and the provision of assistance to the re-adoption of refugees.

Croatia became a candidate country in 2004 and started accession negotiations in 2005. The EU called on other Balkan states to follow the steps of Croatia in order to achieve peace, reconciliation and stability in the Western Balkans region.

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