Bulgaria, as one of the newest European Union members, continues fully to back the EU membership application by Croatia, President Georgi Parvanov said in Sofia Wednesday after a meeting with his visiting Croatian counterpart Stjepan Mesic, according to dpa. Incorporation into the EU of Croatia and all the remaining western Balkan states would ensure "lasting peace" and discourage further conflicts. Bulgaria would back Croatia's EU application with expert negotiating help, he added.