Fischer reiterated Germany's stance on NATO enlargement that qualified candidates should be admitted. But he wouldn't name names during a one-day meeting on Feb. 11 with the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
"Everybody here is sure about an invitation at the Prague summit, and I cannot reject this optimism," he said.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania along with Slovenia are seen by many as leading candidates in the next round of NATO expansion.
The Baltics received explicit backing from French President Jacques Chirac when he toured the three countries last July.
The U.S. government also backed Baltic membership by passing a spending plan last fall that gives about $7 million to each of the three countries to use for defense preparations.
But Germany, a key NATO member, has been lukewarm in its support.
Fischer was not so hesitant on Baltic membership in the EU, calling it "a rare win-win situation in history."
Fischer also assured the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that a proposal to cut farm subsidies to new EU members that he supported would not make them second-class members.
Fischer and other foreign ministers from EU member states offered a plan in Spain on Feb. 8 that would delay giving agricultural subsidies to new members until 2013.
The plan was met with dismay in many Central and Eastern European nations, which have struggled to reform their agricultural sectors and are eager to reap the benefits of EU membership.
"I can understand the aspirations of candidate countries, but on the other hand I know the EU budget, I know our own budget," said Fischer.
Estonian Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland tried to allay fears.
"We should not get too emotional about this proposal and keep in mind that it is only a proposal," she said.
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