Croatia on its Way to EU Membership: Challenges and Problems

Croatia is running the last mile on its road to membership in the European Union. The signature on the Accession Treaty in December 2011 and subsequently the results of the referendum in January 2012 when 66% of its citizens voted in favour of  joining  the  EU confirmed that the crisis in Europe did not significantly de-motivate the first Western Balkan country from continuing its bumpy trajectory to the EU. If this is good or bad news for the future of the European Union is yet to be seen. At this moment for Croatia and its new government it is of vital importance to achieve financial stability and proceed with the important reforms which had lost priority due to the deep economic crisis; moving away from the Hungarian or Greece scenario should be a priority. Therefore, an important question to be raised is how to ensure or develop a permanent and independent domestic monitoring system that will assess if necessary reforms have been completed. Other questions should be how to compensate for the lack of participation in decision-making on the European future and what to do about the failed communication of beneficial impacts of accession, which both were reflected in the high number of anti-EU votes. Finally, what will be the implications of Croatian EU membership on the region; to which extent will it have a stabilising effect?

Speakers
Vesna Pusic, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (tbc)
Jelena Berkovic, GONG/Platform 112
Dejan Jovic, Faculty of political sciences, University of Zagreb/Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia

Discussant
Franziska Katharina Brantner, MEP, The Greens/EFA

Moderator
Claude Weinber, director Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union

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*The meeting is held under Chatham House Rule.