Today, July 1, 2013, Croatia became the 28th EU Member State. This is a strong sign as the Union is moving a little more towards the Balkans. To join, the country had to adopt a series of legislative measures to add the acquis communautaire, notably as regards labor law and social dialogue, and big liberalization reforms. The country is currently badly affected by the crisis and tourism – where working conditions are often criticized – will be the only industry able to enjoy this European accession. (Ref. 130440)
Between promise and recession. In 20 years, Croatia has come out of two deadly conflicts, rebuilt its economy and strengthened its democracy, so much so that it is now able to join the EU. This followed an accession procedure that started when the 8-months long talks ended in June 2011. The country, which only has 4.4 million inhabitants, is relatively advanced: GDP per capita doubled between 1998 and 2008 and amounts to approximately 60 percent of the EU average, i.e. better than Romania or Bulgaria.
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