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 The European Union said two Balkan states were ready to advance their membership efforts, while it admonished Turkey to move faster to settle its border disputes and to normalize relations with Cyprus.

The assessments came Tuesday from the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, in separate reports on the readiness of countries that aspire to join the 27-nation bloc.

The commission said that Croatia's membership negotiations were entering "their final stage" and that Montenegro could now be considered a candidate country.

Turkey was further criticized for shortcomings in free speech and freedom of religion. Negotiations over Turkey's membership, which is opposed by powerful EU states such as France and Germany, have dragged on since 2005.

"No one can be satisfied with the current pace of negotiations," said Stefan Füle, EU commissioner for enlargement.