Croatia cleared for EU membership in 2013

[X.I.]

10 June 2011 Last updated at 11:41
Croatia cleared for EU membership in 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13725558

Croatia's accession is expected to be approved later this month

Croatia has been given the go-ahead to become a member of the European
Union, and is likely to join in 2013, the European Commission has said.

Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he would recommend EU
nations wrap up talks and prepare to greet Croatia as the 28th member state.

Talks on reforming the Croatian judiciary, a very sensitive area, had
been successful, Mr Barroso said.

Croatia will be the second ex-Yugoslav country after Slovenia to join.

"The European Commission has just proposed... to close the last four
chapters in the accession negotiations with Croatia," Mr Barroso said in
a statement.

"Today is a historic day for Croatia and the European Union."

'Reinvigorate efforts'
Mr Barroso described the move as "a signal to the rest of south-eastern
Europe".

"I... hope that Croatia's progress is an inspiration to our other
partners to reinvigorate their reform efforts and to deliver to the
benefit of their people."

Two other countries of the former Yugoslav federation, Montenegro and
Macedonia, are currently candidates for membership.

Serbia is expected to start membership talks next year, after the arrest
last month of former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic on war crimes
charges removed the biggest obstacle Belgrade faced to joining the EU.

The four outstanding chapters in Croatia's talks included the judiciary
and competition issues.

Correspondents say judicial issues are especially sensitive because the
last EU countries to join - Bulgaria and Romania in 2007 - failed to
meet full EU standards in that area.

The EU imposed a monitoring mechanism on them to deal with the shortcomings.

Croatia applied for EU membership in 2003 and formal negotiations began
in 2005.

But the BBC's Mark Lowen, reporting from Zagreb, says progress was
marred by initially sluggish co-operation with the UN War Crimes
Tribunal in the Hague, as government officials appeared slow to hand
over documents relating to the 1990s war of independence.

Corruption and organised crime have also dented the country's image, he
adds.

EU leaders are expected to approve Croatia's accession at a summit on
23-24 June.

[Serbian]

Wednesday 27.07.2011 | 10:36

More than half Croats support EU accession

Source: Beta

ZAGREB -- More than half of Croatia's population would support the country's accession to the European Union in a referendum, a new survey has shown.

The poll was done by marketing research company Ipsos Puls, Beta news agency reports.

According to the survey conducted for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July, 52 percent would support Croatia's accession to the EU, 38 percent would vote against it, while 10 percent did not know how they would vote.

Only 46 percent of the population was interested in EU membership last June, while 43 percent were against. The growing interest in EU membership is said to be the result of the completion of the accession talks with the EU.

According to the survey, 82 percent of citizens would vote in a referendum, while 15 percent were not interested.

Supporters of the country's accession to the EU mainly live in northern Croatia, Zagreb and its vicinity, Dalmatia, Istria and other coastal areas, while most residents of the regions of Lika, Banovina and Slavonia are against it.

[confederate]

who's to say the e.u. will be around in another two years.

[Serbian]

Originally Posted by confederate

who's to say the e.u. will be around in another two years.

Yeah, all these leftist ZOG puppets from the former Yugoslavia want to jump onto a sinking ship. Very strange. I guess they basically have no choice as without the EU they will be lynched by their own people.

[Serbian]

Thursday 1.12.2011 | 14:18

EP approves Croatia’s Accession Treaty

Source: Jutarnji list

BRUSSELS -- The European Parliament has approved a draft Accession Treaty with Croatia


The European Parliament (EP)


564 MEPs voted in favor of Croatia’s accession, 38 were against and 32 abstained.

The EP has voted in another, non-binding resolution which expresses belief that positive results of the reforms will strengthen Croatian citizens’ confidence in the EU. The EP has called on the Croatian citizens to support their country’s EU accession and on the EU member states to ratify the treaty.

The resolution was supported by 550 MEPs, 34 were against and 41 abstained from voting. The resolution points out that Croatia still has not finished the entire work and that it needs to continue reforms it has started implementing.

Croatia will sign the EU Accession Treaty on December 9 in Brussels and will join the Union as the 28th member state on July 1, 2013.

[Serbian]

Tuesday 20.12.2011 | 11:12

Croatia to hold EU referendum on Jan. 22

Source: Tanjug

ZAGREB -- A referendum on Croatia's accession to the European Union will be held on January 22, Croatian President Ivo Josipović said.

He expects the Croatian Foreign Ministry to start lobbying immediately after the referendum for the ratification of treaties on on Croatia's accession.

There is enough time until January 22 to send to Croatian citizens important message what membership in the EU means, Josipović told Croatian Radio.

He said he concurred that the public was not informed enough during the negotiating process, but that all forces should now be aimed at completing the accession process.

We should not mislead people to believe that membership in the EU would solve all problems. Our membership is a great opportunity and whether we will use it successfully primarily depends on us, Josipović said.

[Serbian]

Dutch parliament supports Croatia's EU accession


[ 30 January 2013 06:53 ]

Baku-APA. A majority of the Dutch parliament on Tuesday approved the accession of Croatia to the European Union (EU) later this year, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Croatia finished accession negotiations in June 2011 and on Dec. 9, 2011 signed the Treaty of Accession. After that the Croats voted in favor of EU membership in a referendum.

Before July 1, all EU member states should have ratified the treaty, followed by accession of Croatia as the 28th EU member.

The Dutch parliament agreed with Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans, who stated that the EU has learned from the mistakes that were made when Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007. After their accession, it became clear that these countries were not meeting the conditions and therefore should not have been admitted.

According to Timmermans, the Croats have made sufficient progress to join the Union.

Labor (PvdA), the Liberals (VVD), the Christian Democrats (CDA), the Democrats of D66 and GroenLinks (Green Left) supported the accession of Croatia, although government parties PvdA and VVD still find the situation in Croatia is not yet ideal.

Only the anti-Europe Party of Freedom PVV and the Socialist Party SP are against the Croatian accession. The SP is concerned about the arrival of migrants from Croatia looking for a job in other EU countries.

Timmermans advocated a transitional period, in which Croats cannot work in the Netherlands immediately after the membership is approved.

The European Commission will report on the progress made by Croatia in March. Until that date the Dutch cabinet waits with the signing the Accession


http://en.apa.az/news_dutch_parliame..._a_186877.html