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Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union

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Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union

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Five years ago, precisely on 1st of July 2013, Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union, achieving one of its main foreign policy goals and becoming part of one of the most developed communities in the world. This was preceded by eight difficult years of negotiations.

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Croatia signed its EU accession treaty on the 9th of December 2011 and became a member of the union on the 1st of July 2013.The country applied for EU membership in 2003, and the European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. Candidate country status was granted to Croatia by the European Council in mid-2004. The entry negotiations, while originally set for March 2005, began in October that year together with the screening process.

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The accession process of Croatia was complicated by the insistence of Slovenia, an EU member state, that the two countries' border issues be dealt with prior to Croatia's accession to the EU. Croatia finished accession negotiations on 30 June 2011, and on 9 December 2011, signed the Treaty of Accession.

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As its 28th member state, Croatia has enriched the EU’s diversity in many areas, from Croatian as another official language to the cultural, historical and artistic heritage, traditional products, biodiversity and others.Thanks to its five-year EU membership, Croatia is now more visible and more recognisable in the world...

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Membership of the EU has a direct impact on the everyday life of citizens in numerous areas, including economy, agriculture, transport, environmental protection, consumer rights, education, travel opportunities, employment and may others. As the youngest European Union member state, Croatia will assume the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1st of 2020.

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01-07-2013
Croatia joins the EU

22-01-2012
66% of voters in referendum wish to join the EU

09-12-2011
EU and Croatia sign accession treaty

06-12-2011
Council adopts decision on admission of Croatia

12-10-2011
Commission issues favourable opinion on Croatia's accession to EU and adopts last progress report

30-06-2011
Last of the 35 negotiating chapters is closed

12-06-2006
1st chapter of accession negotiations – science and research – formally opened and provisionally closed at ministerial-level conference

20-10-2005
'Screening' stage of accession negotiations begins

16-03-2005
EU postpones start of accession negotiations but adopts negotiation framework.

01-02-2005
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) enters into force

01-12-2004
Council sets 17 March 2005 as start date for negotiations conditional upon full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

01-06-2004
Council confirms Croatia as candidate country

01-04-2004
Commission approves Croatia's application for EU membership.

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The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of certain European states. At present, it has 28 member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom (UK). In 2016, the UK voted to leave the EU, and negotiations about this are currently ongoing.