Croatia joins EU

Priyanka Kurugala

From today onwards with the joining of Croatia, the European Union would expand its membership to 28 members. According to the EU Embassy in Sri Lanka, Croatia had applied to join the European Union in 2003. Over the last decade, Croatia has succeeded in making all reforms needed to come into line with EU laws and standards to enable it to join the EU this year.

The EU Embassy in Sri Lanka said that to be an EU member, the country had taken decisive steps to strengthen democracy, the rule of law, human rights and protection of minorities. The judiciary too is now more independent, accountable and professional. It has a functioning market economy, which would offer new opportunities for European businesses and industry, as part of a single EU market, with easier mobility for all. For Croatia, EU membership means more security and stability, providing Croatian companies full access to the largest market in the world, with over 500 million consumers, enabling Croatian citizens to travel, study and work in the EU just as citizens of other EU member states

For the EU, having Croatia as a new Member State would mean extending the area of political stability in a strategic European region that had been torn apart by conflict not so long ago, expanding the EU's internal market, along with new opportunities for businesses and customers, expanding EU standards in various crucial areas such energy, transport, environment, etc. that had an impact on Europe as a whole, enhancing the EU's cultural diversity and human potential.

Croatia's accession could be viewed as a positive step towards integrating western Balkan countries into the EU. It was a clear signal to the remaining aspirant countries in the region. It would also strengthen Europe as it faces global challenges. The economic crisis had underlined the interdependence of national economies and the importance of cross-border solidarity. Enlargement of benefits existing to member states not only by making the EU a bigger player in the world, but also by diminishing threats of instability on the EU's frontiers. It is a win-win process.