Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has said he strongly believes Croatia will enter the European Union by 2011.

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has said he strongly believes Croatia will enter the European Union by 2011.Sanader said in an interview with the German weekly Die Welt:" I absolutely believe we can end negotiations by the end of 2009 and join the organisation by 2011. The best date would be 1 January."Sanader added that any speculation about the reasons for Slovenia’s blocking of the opening of new chapters in Croatia’s EU accession negotiations would be a mistake.Sanader explained: "I expect Slovenia to support Croatia’s accession. If we cannot solve our border dispute through bilateral talks, we should take it to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The court will have the last word, and both countries will be obligated to respect its ruling."