Croatia has achieved incredible success in its ten years of membership of the European Union, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said in Zagreb on Monday.

Speaking at the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Croatia’s accession to the EU on 1 July 2013, Metsola said that this success was crowned by the accession to the Schengen Area and the euro area this year.

These are ten years of incredible success for a country in the very heart of Europe, the Maltese politician said at a conference held at the National and University Library in Zagreb.

Croatia became a full member of the Union after the war for independence in the 1990s, economic and political transition, and complicated negotiations that were burdened by cooperation with the Hague court and a bilateral dispute with Slovenia.

Croatia has been completely transformed and a lot still needs to be done, but we have an international reputation and our voice is respected. We have earned respect, and that’s a lot in ten years, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

He added that the country continued its journey on three paths: green transition, digital transformation and demographic revitalisation.

Those three topics ensure competitiveness on the global market and the ability to face challenges while remaining together as a society, he pointed out.

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic rejected criticism from Eurosceptics that Zagreb was only following the policy of Brussels.

No, we are actively involved in decision-making and we align our own interests with the interests of other members, said Jandrokovic.

‘We will not block others’

Croatia, which has lost several years in negotiations due to the border dispute with Slovenia and relations with the Hague court, will not use problems with neighbouring countries to block their path to the EU, the highest-ranking Croatian officials said.

Blockades are unjust, they create a bad atmosphere. Croatia wants to resolve bilateral issues in an intelligent way, and not in a way that presents an obstacle to negotiations, Plenkovic said.

Jandrokovic said that it was in Croatia’s interest to Europeanise the neighbourhood, and not to have someone in its environment that advocates semi-democratic or non-democratic models.

We will help everyone who wants to move towards EU membership, said the Parliament Speaker.

Speaking about the elections for the European Parliament next year, Metsola called on voters, especially young people, to go to the polls because these are the most important elections so far.

There is an invisible line and when we cross it, we have lost our citizens. If you manage to ‘sell’ the argument that voting is not a privilege, but a right and even a duty, then we will understand what the citizens want and show a clear vision that the EU has its worth. To achieve this, we must make sure that as many people as possible vote next year. Every vote matters, Metsola said.