Brussels, 01/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - Croatia, which officially became the 28th member of the EU at midnight on 1 July, celebrated its accession to the European family with a major evening of events. To mark the occasion, many European leaders paid tribute to the path journeyed by Zagreb, calling upon the country to be a model for the other Balkan states. “Welcome to the European Union”, said President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, who described it as “an historic night. And it is thanks to you, the people of Croatia. It was your desire to join the EU and lots of hard work made it possible (…). You have returned Croatia to its rightful place in the heart of Europe”, he continued. His Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Füle, added that “Croatia's historic accession has become a reality”, stating that the EU is “becoming stronger and stronger together”.
“Proud” to be present for “this historic moment” and welcoming the 4.5 million Croatians to “their Union”, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy said that “Croatia has passed an important milestone. (Accession) will change the lives of this nation for good”. He also pointed out that “as a pioneer for the region, Croatia, now as a member state, has a very important role to play”.
Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore whose country has held the Presidency of the EU Council over the last six months, stressed that Croatia's accession “bears witness to the determination of its people to put a troubled period behind them and is a source of inspiration for its neighbours in the region”.
A view shared by the Lithuanian president, Dalia Grybauskaitë, whose country took over at the helm of the EU from Ireland on 1 July. She said this was a historic moment and it was wonderful to finally have the Croatians in the EU, adding that they should win victories together.
The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, said it was a historic day for the EU and for Croatia - Europe has taken another important step towards reunification and a new chapter was beginning for Croatia. He said that Croatia had shown that, with determination and very hard work, accession is within reach. At the start of the EP's plenary on 1 July, Schulz welcomed the twelve new Croatian MEPs after their flag had been hoisted alongside the European flag and those of the other 27 member states.
The president of the EPP Group, Joseph Daul, hailed the generations of Croatians who had worked towards accession because their work had borne fruit. He added that accession was only the start, not the end, of the road and this had been a long and sometimes difficult path, but the result was genuinely well deserved. His counterpart at the S&D, Hannes Swoboda, said that Croatia's accession would help give the country and the region greater stability and would increase the prosperity of Croatians and citizens of the EU as a whole. It also proved that European integration is a way of reconciling countries, he said, even beyond the EU's borders. (CG/transl.fl)