Roughly Half of Croatians Want to Join the EU

Most people in Croatia want their country to become a member of the European Union (EU) but more than a third still oppose the idea, according to a poll by Promocija Plus. 49.8 per cent of respondents support Croatia’s accession to the EU, while 38.6 per cent oppose it.

In 1991, Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia. The country became an official candidate for EU membership in June 2004, and began its accession talks in October 2005. The Croatian government is looking at 2009 as a possible entry date, but the EU has urged the country to reform its judicial system and fight corruption before it makes a final decision.

On Nov. 23, political analyst Zeljko Trkanjec predicted that accession talks will be part of the agenda of any future Croatian government, saying, "Whoever wins will have to speed up reforms and wrap up the EU membership talks. And if they’re smart, they’ll make the tough cuts in the first year."

Slovenia is the only former component of Yugoslavia that has joined the EU. In December 2006, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia officially became a candidate for membership.