Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said on late Thursday that the country was going to be in danger of destabilization if necessary reforms were not carried out, stressing that he, as the president, would commit himself to fully implement the planned reforms.

Josipovic told the Zagreb-based Nova TV he would insist on reforms as economic reforms were a must and there was no way out of crisis for Croatia, threatened with political and social destabilization, without them.

The rate of unemployment is high, and many families cannot pay for basic needs such as food and utilities, Josipovic said, stressing that as the main motive for his insistence on the reforms.

Josipovic expects that Croatia will be given the date for its EU accession in June, but also says that if this does not happen then, the country should not fall victim to pessimism, but the government will have to make a decision whether it is able to continue working.

The interview with Josipovic took place on the occasion of the first anniversary since he assumed the presidential office, during which time he was the most popular politician in Croatia.

According to Nova TV, over the last year, Josipovic was commended for apologizing over war crimes committed by Croatian army units in the Bosnian village of Ahmici, as well as for his cooperation with Serbia's President Boris Tadic.