European Forum

Croatia votes for the EU

On Sunday 22 January Croatians have voted for EU entrance. According to unofficial results (99.99% of the votes have been counted), 66.27% voted ‘ZA’(‘for’) EU entrance at the second referendum in Croatian history, the first being on the decision to succeed from Yugoslavia. Considering the polls over the recent years, the percentage of ‘for’ votes is rather high. The turnout was low with 43.5%, compared to 54% at the general elections in December 2011.

In a first reaction President Ivo Josipović congratulated the ‘victory of European Croatia at the referendum.’ The head of the newly elected Social Democratic led government, Prime Minister Zoran Milanović, stated that it was a historic decision. Reflecting on the low turnout, he added that ‘people were obviously fatigued.’ In a joint statement President of the European Commission José Manuel and the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, welcomed the result. “The positive vote is good news for Croatia, good news for the region, and good news for Europe,” the statements reads. Croatia is set to join the EU in July 2013, after the Croatian Parliament and EU members states parliaments ratify the accession treaty. Some member states will do that as soon as possible, while others will wait for the reports on monitoring which is being carried out in Croatia in the domains of human rights and market competitiveness.

The result of the referendum confirms the support for the left-wing government and its responsibility to continue with the reforms and deliver on the promises of the benefits of EU membership: a European peaceful and stable country with better life for all its citizens.

Source: Croatian Radio Television (HRT), European Commission, Croatian Central Election Commission (DIP) and Gallup Balkan Monitor