Croatia rejoices at green light for EU membership in mid-2013

CROATIA took a giant step towards European Union membership by winning a green light from Brussels to join in mid-2013, a move opening a fresh page in the history of the Balkans nation.

“Today is a historic day for Croatia and the European Union,” said Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the EU executive yesterday.

“I would like to congratulate the people of Croatia,” he added.

“Joining the EU family of nations is first and foremost your success.”

Barroso said Croatia had successfully completed six years of tough negotiations to gain entry to the bloc and become its 28th member.

He recommended closing the final four of 35 chapters that aspiring members must negotiate in order to gain EU entry — reforming political, economic, social and judicial spheres in line with EU standards.

“This paves the way for Croatia to join the EU as the 28th member state as of 1 July 2013,” he added.

The next step will be for EU leaders to offer their official rubber stamp at a summit on June 23-24.

The announcement from the EU executive comes shortly before the Balkan nation celebrates 20 years of independence from Yugoslavia and 16 years after the bloody inter-ethnic war that ensued.

Hailing the news even before it happened, Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said it would be “a big day for Croatia as it opens a new page in our history.”

Croatia will be the second former Yugoslav republic to join the EU after Slovenia in 2004, but the first that suffered the full force of the brutal wars that ravaged the region in the 1990s.

But many ordinary Croats do not share the enthusiasm.

Polls still show 44.6% support EU membership, but the opponents, on 41.8%, are gaining ground.

The country is due to hold a referendum within a month of the EU accession treaty being signed.