Brussels, 28/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 28 June, the European Council welcomed Croatia as the 28th member of the European Union from 1 July. President Herman Van Rompuy said that 1 July is “truly a historic moment for Croatia (…). You have always been European. You are now a full member of our European Union”. He went on to sound a note of warning, however, saying: “This means new opportunities but also new responsibilities”. Accession, he said, is an important stage for the region as a whole and that Zagreb's neighbours are also on the road to accession.
Visibly moved, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic pledged that he would help and assist his country's neighbours on their road to EU membership. Speaking with emotion, he pointed out that “life is a journey and not a destination. And it is the bridge that matters not the goal”, saying that the bridge has been long for Croatia with much scrutiny, verification, analysis and different chapters to be opened and closed.
Many European heads of government and the presidents of the European Council and of the Commission will be in Croatia on 1 July for the official ceremony for that country's accession to the EU.
Croatia has been a candidate for accession since 2004, with negotiations beginning in October 2005. Negotiations were concluded on 30 June 2011. The country, which has 4.5 million inhabitants, is the first country of the Western Balkans to join the EU. This is the EU's seventh enlargement, the last dating back to 2007. (CG/transl.jl)