The Croatians can be proud of the achievements of their country since it entered the European Union on 1 July 2013, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Friday at a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of Croatia's admission to the EU.

Croatia became a full member of the Union after its war of independence in the 1990s, economic and political transition and complicated membership negotiations burdened by the requirements in cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and disputes in the relations with its neighbour Slovenia.

After its admission to the EU on 1 July 2013, Croatia also entered the Schengen travel free area and the euro area on 1 January 2023. We as a nation can be proud of those achievements, PM Plenković said at the ceremony in the downtown Zagreb, organised by the Office of the European Parliament and the European Commission Representation in Croatia.

He recalled Croatia’s success in fulfilling the demanding requirements during the membership talks.

Since our admission, nobody has yet entered the Union and it remains to be seen how much time will pass before the next aspirant enters the Union, Plenković said.

Croatia is today a respected state in the international community, and influences policy-making, our neighbourhood and also global and principled matters such strong solidarity with and support to Ukraine, and firm and unequivocal condemnation of Russia as an aggressor that violates alls the principles of international law, said Plenković.

Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said that the Croatians were no longer “foreigners” in the EU.

He said that the membership of the EU meant a lot for Croatia’s security, stability and reputation.

It is now in our interest to see the stability of the Western Balkans, primarily of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the minister added.

Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević said at the ceremony that he was glad to see that the Croatian government had decided for a comprehensive post-quake reconstruction and for making the buildings more resilient to earthquakes, and that it managed to take advantage of the Solidarity Fund for this purpose.

I am glad that the City of Zagreb has made its contribution to the efforts to tap the EU fund available for post-quake reconstruction, he added.