Today is a historic day for European Union and Republic of Croatia, as the later become the first Western Balkan state to join the EU. The accession ceremony held in Zagreb, 30 June 2013, and concludes a decade-long negotiation process since Croatia government’s formal application to join EU in 2003. Croatia will be the 28th EU Member States.
The Council of Europe confirmed to arrange some revision on its voting system due the Croatia accession. The adoption of a legislation need to have 260 votes out of 352 by at least 15 members. The Croatian has 7 votes, which is equal as Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Finland. The Council also make Croatian as the 24th official language of EU.
Despite 2/3 majority (66%) of its citizen say yes in the referendum, the accession still receives negatives comments. Some protesters, declared their selves as Occupy Croatia, was planning to organize an anti-EU march on Sunday-evening (local time). Spokesperson of the group stated, “The entry into European Union is an economic genocide over the people living in our country” (Washington Post). In the other hand, the pro-EU claimed that the Membership would bring Croatia closer to peace and political stability.
The accession will bring opportunities to Croatia as EU usually helps its new member to improve infrastructure and public services. It also get the chances to access EU free-market, which is the biggest market-bloc in the world. For EU, the accession of Croatia will strategically benefits its enlargement process to the rest of Balkan countries.
Some Facts on Croatia’s EU Membership:
- Croatia is the first Western Balkan country to join EU. Most of Western Balkan countries (Montenegro, Macedonia, and Serbia) already considered as EU Member Candidates, while Albania have to organize a fair parliamentary election in June 2013 to be granted the status by EU.
- Croatia is the 6th Balkan country to join EU after Greece (1981), Hungary (2004), Slovenia (2004), Bulgaria (2007), and Romania (2007).
- Croatia is the 2nd former-Yugoslavia country after Slovenia (2004) to join EU. –BBC
- Croatia will be the 3rd poorest country in EU. It has 20% rate of unemployment. -The Guardian
- Croatia is the first EU expansion after the Euro-crisis started in Greece.
- Croatia is not a Euro and Schengen-zone member yet. One of the biggest challenge to get the status is the country’s poor corruption index.
- Serbian president Tomislav Nikolic attended the accession ceremony in Zagreb. Nikolic once known as an advocate of “Greater Serbia” ideology, a doctrine that fuel the war in Croatia and Bosnia (early 1990s). –Reuters