Text tabled : B7-0094/2011

  Antonio Cancian (PPE), in writing. − (IT) I voted decisively in favour of this report because I believe that Croatia is correctly continuing with its implementation of the reforms necessary for EU membership. At an economic level, I think that Croatia is ready to deal with other EU countries. In fact, despite the global crisis, it has managed to maintain a certain macroeconomic stability, particularly through the development of service and tourism infrastructures. I think the country should be encouraged to take full advantage of its resources, particularly its geographic position as a strategic transport link between Western Europe and the Balkans, between Central Europe, the Adriatic and the Mediterranean. Further development of its infrastructure could provide enormous potential to the country. With this in mind, its cooperation with the European Union on the implementation of sections of the TEN-T, TEN-E and e-TEN, which also affect Croatian territory and could be developed into a PPP system in full cooperation with the EU, is proving very fruitful. The negotiations will close in the first half of 2011, when the accession process will be concluded. I am confident that this deadline will be met.