The most recentenlargement of the European Union sawCroatia become theEuropean Union's 28thmember state on 1 July 2013. The country applied for EU membership in 2003, and theEuropean Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. Candidate country status was granted to Croatia by theEuropean Council in mid-2004. The entry negotiations, while originally set for March 2005, began in October that year together with the screening process.
The accession process of Croatia was complicated by the insistence ofSlovenia, an EU member state (since 2004), that thetwo countries' border issues be dealt with prior to Croatia's accession to the EU. Croatian public opinion was generally supportive of the EU accession process, despite occasional spikes ineuroscepticism.
Croatia finished accession negotiations on 30 June 2011,[1] and on 9 December 2011, signed theTreaty of Accession. Areferendum on EU accession was held in Croatia on 22 January 2012, with 66% of participants voting in favour of joining the Union.[2][3][4][5] The ratification process was concluded on 21 June 2013, and entry into force and accession of Croatia to the EU took place on 1 July 2013.[6]
 |
|---|
|
Recent elections Recent referendums |
Accession requirements included: judicial reform to strengthen the independence, accountability, impartiality, professionalism and efficiency of the judiciary; a crackdown on corruption and organised crime (this resulted in the conviction of former Prime MinisterIvo Sanader for taking bribes); strengthen the protection of minorities; settle outstanding refugee return issues; improve the protection of human rights.[7]
Croatia had to extradite several of its citizens to theInternational Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), a United Nations body, an issue that was often contentious in domestic politics. Croatia's relations with the ICTY had continually been cited by the EU officials as something that required further improvement. Ratification of theEU Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Croatia had been stalled because of this.
The European Council, after its summit of 20 December 2004, set the following 17 March as the date to start entry negotiations, provided that Croatia continued to co-operate fully with the ICTY. On 16 March 2005, the day before talks were to begin, the EU postponed the commencement of negotiations, because the ICTY prosecution assessed the Croatian efforts to capture the fugitive generalAnte Gotovina (indicted by the ICTY forwar crimes andcrimes against humanity, but at large since 2001) as neither timely nor sufficient.
On 7 December 2005, the Spanish police finally arrested Ante Gotovina with the help of the Croatian government on the Spanish island ofTenerife, located in theCanary Islands. He was brought toThe Hague to be tried for war crimes. With the arrest of Ante Gotovina this issue was resolved, and entry negotiations began anew, after the certification of ICTY chief prosecutorCarla Del Ponte that Croatia now fully cooperated with the ICTY.
In April 2011, Croatian generals Gotovina andMarkač were given extended prison sentences at the ICTY, which was widely perceived as unjust in the Croatian public. This caused a marked increase in opposition to the accession because, in the past, some countries like the Netherlands,[8] conditioned their support for the Croatia's accession process with the continued Croatian co-operation with the ICTY.
On 16 November 2012, the ICTY Appeals Chamber acquitted generals Gotovina and Markač and ordered their immediate release.[9]
Croatia has had long-standing border issues with Slovenia, especially over thePiran Bay boundary. Between December 2008 and September–October 2009, Slovenia blocked Croatia's EU accession over these border issues. On 6 June 2010, Slovenia voted to accept the ruling of United Nations arbitrators on the dispute, removing this obstacle.[10]
Croatia has border disputes with Serbia[citation needed], Bosnia and Herzegovina[citation needed], and Montenegro, but these countries are not European Union members and cannot directly block the accession process. In December 2008, Croatia and Montenegro agreed that the outstanding sea border issue between the two countries should be settled before an international court whose decision would be accepted in advance by the parliaments of the two countries.[11]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Free acquisition of real estate by foreigners is a sensitive issue in Croatia. This matter particularly concerns Italians, especially inIstria. While it has some ties with Italy, the events surrounding World War II, when Istria changed hands between theKingdom of Italy and theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, remain pertinent. Numerous Italian politicians expressed their discontent concerning the inability of Italians to purchase land in Croatia, considering it discriminatory treatment and stating that the issue should be resolved as soon as possible.
Croatia subsequently denied any discrimination, and said that Croatian legislation provided for the same treatment of all EU citizens concerning land ownership. In mid-2006, Croatia and Italy came to an agreement allowing Italian citizens to purchase land in Croatia and Croatian citizens to purchase land in Italy. Other EU members had to resolve similar issues before their accession to the EU. Examples of this includeSlovenia,Slovakia,Poland, and especiallyMalta.
Croatia was required to stop subsidising its shipbuilding industry, resulting in privatisations, closures and reduced production capacity. Following the events of the 1990s (dissolution of Yugoslavia andCroatian independence) and cheaper shipbuilding emerging on the Asian markets, Croatia's shipbuilding industry was not profitable with massive losses, resulting in government subsidies over the twenty years until privatisation tallying €3.75 billion.[12][13]
Croatia applied for EU membership in 2003, and theEuropean Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. Candidate country status was granted to Croatia by theEuropean Council (the EU's heads of state and/or government) in mid-2004, but the date for the beginning of entry negotiations, while originally set for March 2005, was put off. In early March 2005, Croatia was formally warned by the EU that its failure to arrest the war crimes suspectAnte Gotovina would jeopardise the country's chances of starting the accession talks, in spite of Croatia insisting it was doing everything it could to find and arrest the fugitive[14] and claiming that Gotovina was no longer in Croatia.[15] In fact, the talks started in October 2005, shortly before Gotovina's arrest inSpain, which occurred in early December that year and was hailed by the EU as an important turning point for the whole region, as it turned "the page from the nationalist past to a European future".[16]
Before the start of negotiations with Croatia, theacquis was divided into 35 chapters, 4 more than the usual 31; the new chapters, previously part of the agricultural policy, are areas expected to be troublesome, as they were with the other applicants. Following the opening of accession negotiations on 3 October 2005, the process of screening 35 acquis chapters with Croatia was completed on 18 October 2006.[17] Between December 2008 and October 2009, Slovenia blocked negotiations in 13 acquis chapters because of aborder dispute with Croatia.[18] In September 2009 it was announced that Slovenia would remove restraints on Croatia's negotiations with the EU without prejudice to the international mediation on the border dispute.[19]
| Acquis chapter | EC assessment at start[20] | Current situation | Screening started | Screening completed | Chapter frozen | Chapter unfrozen | Chapter opened | Chapter closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Free Movement of Goods | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-01-16 | 2006-02-24 | – | – | 2008-07-25 | 2010-04-19 |
| 2. Freedom of Movement For Workers | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-07-19 | 2006-09-11 | – | – | 2008-06-17 | 2009-10-02 |
| 3. Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2005-11-21 | 2005-12-20 | – | – | 2007-06-26 | 2009-12-21 |
| 4. Free Movement of Capital | Further efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2005-11-25 | 2005-12-22 | 2008–12 | 2009–10 | 2009-10-02 | 2010-11-05 |
| 5. Public Procurement | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2005-11-07 | 2005-11-28 | – | – | 2008-12-19 | 2010-06-30 |
| 6. Company Law | Further efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-06-21 | 2006-07-20 | 2008–12 | 2009–10 | 2007-06-26 | 2009-10-02 |
| 7. Intellectual Property Law | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-02-06 | 2006-03-03 | – | – | 2007-03-29 | 2008-12-19 |
| 8. Competition Policy | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2005-11-08 | 2005-12-02 | – | – | 2010-06-30 | 2011-06-30 |
| 9. Financial Services | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-03-29 | 2006-05-03 | – | – | 2007-06-26 | 2009-11-27 |
| 10. Information Society & Media | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-06-12 | 2006-07-14 | – | – | 2007-07-26 | 2008-12-19 |
| 11. Agriculture & Rural Development | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2005-12-05 | 2006-01-26 | 2008–12 | 2009–10 | 2009-10-02 | 2011-04-19 |
| 12. Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-03-09 | 2006-04-28 | 2008–12 | 2009–10 | 2009-10-02 | 2010-07-27 |
| 13. Fisheries | Further efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-02-24 | 2006-03-31 | 2008–12 | 2010–02 | 2010-02-19 | 2011-06-06 |
| 14. Transport Policy | Further efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-06-26 | 2006-09-28 | – | – | 2008-04-21 | 2010-11-05 |
| 15. Energy | Further efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-05-15 | 2006-06-16 | – | – | 2008-04-21 | 2009-11-27 |
| 16. Taxation | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-06-06 | 2006-07-12 | 2008–12 | 2009–10 | 2009-10-02 | 2010-06-30 |
| 17. Economic & Monetary Policy | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-02-16 | 2006-03-23 | – | – | 2006-12-21 | 2008-12-19 |
| 18. Statistics | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-06-19 | 2006-07-18 | 2008–12 | 2009–10 | 2007-06-26 | 2009-10-02 |
| 19. Social Policy & Employment | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-02-08 | 2006-03-22 | – | – | 2008-06-17 | 2009-12-21 |
| 20. Enterprise & Industrial Policy | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-03-27 | 2006-05-05 | – | – | 2006-12-21 | 2008-07-25 |
| 21. Trans-European Networks | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-06-30 | 2006-09-29 | 2008–12 | 2009–10 | 2007-12-19 | 2009-10-02 |
| 22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-09-11 | 2006-10-10 | 2008–12 | 2009–10 | 2009-10-02 | 2011-04-19 |
| 23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-09-06 | 2006-10-13 | – | – | 2010-06-30 | 2011-06-30 |
| 24. Justice, Freedom & Security | Considerable efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-01-23 | 2006-02-15 | 2008–12 | 2009–10 | 2009-10-02 | 2010-12-22 |
| 25. Science & Research | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2005-10-20 | 2005-11-14 | – | – | 2006-06-12 | 2006-06-12 |
| 26. Education & Culture | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2005-10-26 | 2005-11-16 | – | – | 2006-12-11 | 2006-12-11 |
| 27. Environment | Totally incompatible with acquis | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-04-03 | 2006-06-02 | 2008–12 | 2010–02 | 2010-02-19 | 2010-12-22 |
| 28. Consumer & Health Protection | Further efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-06-08 | 2006-07-11 | – | – | 2007-10-12 | 2009-11-27 |
| 29. Customs Union | Further efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-01-31 | 2006-03-14 | 2008–12 | 2009–10 | 2006-12-21 | 2009-10-02 |
| 30. External Relations | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-07-10 | 2006-09-13 | – | – | 2007-10-12 | 2008-10-30 |
| 31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-09-14 | 2006-10-06 | 2008–12 | 2010–04 | 2010-06-30 | 2010-12-22 |
| 32. Financial Control | Further efforts needed | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-05-18 | 2006-06-30 | – | – | 2007-06-26 | 2010-07-27 |
| 33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions | No major difficulties expected | Generally aligned with the acquis | 2006-09-06 | 2006-10-04 | – | – | 2007-12-19 | 2011-06-30 |
| 34. Institutions | Nothing to adopt | – | – | – | – | – | 2010-11-05 | 2010-11-05 |
| 35. Other Issues | Nothing to adopt | – | – | – | – | – | 2011-06-30 | 2011-06-30 |
| Progress | 33 out of 33[21] | 33 out of 33[21] | 13 out of 13 | 13 out of 13 | 35 out of 35 | 35 out of 35[22] |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1998-03-04 | Ministry of European Integration formed within theCroatian Government.[24] |
| 2001-10-29 | Croatia signs theStabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). |
| 2003-02-21 | Formal application for membership submitted. |
| 2003-10-09 | Croatia submits answers to the commission's Questionnaire. |
| 2004-04-20 | European Commission replies to the answers with a positive opinion (Avis). |
| 2004-06-18 | Croatia receives official candidate status. |
| 2004-12-20 | European Council sets the date for the entry negotiations to begin 2005-03-17. |
| 2005-02-01 | SAA comes into force. |
| 2005-03-16 | Negotiations postponed. |
| 2005-10-03 | Beginning of negotiations (shortly after midnight in Luxembourg). |
| 2005-10-20 | Beginning of the screening process. |
| 2006-06-12 | 1 chapter is opened & closed: Science & Research. |
| 2006-06-28 | 2 chapters are opened: Competition Policy and Customs Union. |
| 2006-07-20 | 1 chapter is opened: Social Policy & Employment. |
| 2006-12-11 | 1 chapter is opened & closed: Education & Culture. |
| 2007-03-29 | 1 chapter is opened: Intellectual Property Law. |
| 2007-06-26 | 6 chapters are opened: Company Law, Financial Control, Financial Services, Information Society & Media, Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services, and Statistics. |
| 2007-10-12 | 2 chapters are opened: Consumer & Health Protection and External Relations. |
| 2007-12-20 | 2 chapters are opened: Trans-European Networks and Financial & Budgetary Provisions. |
| 2008-04-21 | 2 chapters are opened: Energy and Transport Policy. |
| 2008-06-17 | 2 chapters are opened: Freedom of Movement For Workers and Social Policy & Employment. |
| 2008-07-25 | 1 chapter is opened: Free Movement of Goods. 1 chapter is closed: Enterprise & Industrial Policy. |
| 2008-10-30 | 1 chapter is closed: External Relations. |
| 2008-12-19 | 1 chapter is opened: Public Procurement. 3 chapters are closed: Economic & Monetary Policy, Information Society & Media, and Intellectual Property Law. |
| 2009-04-23 | EU calls off talks due to Slovenia's blockade of Croatia's EU accession over a border dispute with the latter over theBay of Piran. |
| 2009-09-11 | Slovenia agrees on an immediate ending of its blockade of Croatia's EU accession & further negotiation of theGulf of Piran border dispute between the 2 countries. |
| 2009-10-02 | Croatia closed 5 chapters & opened 6. Chapters that were closed: Company Law, Customs Union, Freedom of Movement of Workers, Statistics, and Trans-European Networks. |
| 2009-11-27 | 3 chapters are closed: Consumer & Health Protection, Energy, and Financial Services. |
| 2009-12-21 | 2 chapters are closed: Right of Establishment & Freedom To Provide Services and Social Policy & Employment. |
| 2010-02-19 | 2 chapters are opened: Environment & Fisheries. |
| 2010-04-19 | 1 chapter is closed: Free Movement of Goods. |
| 2010-06-30 | 2 chapters are closed: Taxation and Public Procurement. 3 chapters are opened: Foreign, Security & Defence Policy, Judiciary & Fundamental Rights, and Competition Policy. |
| 2010-07-27 | 2 chapters are closed: Food Safety, Veterinary & Phytosanitary Policy and Financial Control. |
| 2010-11-05 | 3 chapters are closed: Institutions, Transport Policy and Free Movement of Capital. |
| 2010-12-22 | 3 chapters are closed: 24. Justice, Freedom & Security, 27. Environment and 31. Foreign, Security & Defence Policy. |
| 2011-04-19 | 2 chapters are closed: 11. Agriculture & Rural Development, 22. Regional Policy & Coordination of Structural Instruments[25] |
| 2011-06-06 | 1 chapter is closed: 13. Fisheries |
| 2011-06-10 | Commission recommends closing of the negotiations and sets 2013-07-01 as target entry date |
| 2011-06-24 | European Council calls for finishing negotiations by the end of June and signing of the Treaty of Accession by the end of 2011 |
| 2011-06-30 | End of accession negotiations. Final 4 chapters are closed: 8. Competition Policy, 23. Judiciary & Fundamental Rights, 33. Financial & Budgetary Provisions and 35. Other Issues. |
| 2011-10-12 | Commission adopts a favourable opinion on Croatia's accession to the EU |
| 2011-12-01 | European Parliament approves Croatia's entry to the EU.[26] |
| 2011-12-09 | Croatia and the 27Member States of the European Union sign theEU accession treaty.[27][28] |
| 2012-01-22 | EU accession referendum held in Croatia, 66.25% voted in favour, 33.13% against. About 47% of eligible voters took part in the referendum.[3][4][5] |
| 2012-02-01 | Parliament of Slovakia unanimously ratifiesCroatian accession treaty.[29] |
| 2012-02-13 | National Assembly of Hungary ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[30] |
| 2012-02-17 | Parliament of Bulgaria ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[31] |
| 2012-03-01 | Parliament of Italy ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[32][33][34] |
| 2012-03-05 | Parliament of Malta unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[35][36] |
| 2012-03-09 | Croatian Parliament unanimously ratifies Croatia's EU accession treaty.[37] |
| 2012-03-22 | Parliament of Latvia unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[38] |
| 2012-04-26 | Parliament of Lithuania ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[39] |
| 2012-05-03 | Parliament of Cyprus unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[40] |
| 2012-06-08 | Parliament of the Czech Republic ratifies Croatian accession treaty. |
| 2012-06-26 | Parliament of Romania unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty. |
| 2012-06-27 | Oireachtas of Ireland ratifies Croatian accession treaty. |
| 2012-07-04 | Parliament of Austria ratifies Croatian accession treaty. |
| 2012-09-12 | Parliament of Estonia unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[41] |
| 2012-09-14 | Sejm of Poland ratifies accession treaty.[42] |
| 2012-09-21 | Assembly of the Republic of Portugal ratifies accession treaty.[43] |
| 2012-10-10 | Chambers of Deputies of Luxembourg unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[44] |
| 2012-10-24 | Cortes Generales of Spain unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[45] |
| 2012-10-30 | Parliament of Greece ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[46] |
| 2012-11-07 | TheSwedishRiksdag ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[47] |
| 2012-12-18 | Parliament of Finland ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[48] |
| 2013-01-15 | Senate of France unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[49] |
| 2013-01-17 | National Assembly of France unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty. |
| 2013-01-24 | Chamber of Representatives of Belgium ratifies Croatian accession treaty. |
| 2013-01-31 | Parliament of the United Kingdom ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[50] |
| 2013-02-05 | House of Representatives of the Netherlands passes the approval law for the Croatian accession treaty. |
| 2013-03-07 | Croatian and Slovenian governments reach an agreement onLjubljanska banka. The Slovenian government starts the process of ratification.[51] |
| 2013-04-02 | Parliament of Slovenia unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty. |
| 2013-04-14 | CroatianEuropean Parliament election |
| 2013-04-16 | Senate of the Netherlands ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[52] |
| 2013-05-02 | Parliament of Denmark unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[53] |
| 2013-05-16 | Bundestag of Germany ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[54] |
| 2013-06-07 | Bundesrat of Germany unanimously ratifies Croatian accession treaty.[55] |
| 2013-06-21 | The ratification process completes upon the depositing of the German ratification instruments with theGovernment of Italy.[28] |
| 2013-07-01 | Croatia joins the EU. |
Originally Croatia had been aiming for a 2007 accession date, which would have brokenSlovakia's record of 2.5 years of negotiations to complete the process. However, negotiations turned out to be tougher than expected. On 5 November 2008, theEuropean Commission's annual progress report on Croatia's candidacy was published.Olli Rehn stated that the country should aim to complete accession negotiations by the end of 2009, with membership following by 2011 at the latest.[56] In 2009 it was also reported thatIceland may be fast-tracked into the European Union,[57] and Rehn said that "the EU prefers two countries joining at the same time rather than individually. If Iceland applies shortly and the negotiations are rapid, Croatia and Iceland could join the EU in parallel". The last non-acquis hurdle to membership, themaritime border dispute with Slovenia, was overcome in November 2009.
Croatia ultimately finished its accession negotiations on 30 June 2011,[58] and signed theTreaty of Accession 2011 in Brussels on 9 December 2011; followed by approval of it by a national referendum on 22 January 2012 and completing their ratification process on 4 April 2012. Entry into force and accession of Croatia to the EU took place on1 July 2013, as all 27 EU members and Croatia haveratified the treaty before this date.[59][60]
The accession took place at a time of economic difficulty with Croatia in a fifth year of recession with 21% unemployment, and during theeuro area crisis.[61]
As Croatia joined the EU, it exited theCentral European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).
Croatia became a member on 1 July 2013, but some areas of cooperation in the European Union were scheduled to apply to Croatia at a later date. These were:
Before accession to the European Union, Croatia was categorised as anAnnex II country, which meant that Croatian citizens could stay in theSchengen Area without a visa for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Croatian citizens were also able to stay without a visa inBulgaria,Cyprus,Ireland andRomania for up to 90 days in each country, as well as in theUnited Kingdom for up to 6 months.
The general rule was that non-EU citizens had to use a passport to enter EU member states. However, there was an exception to theSchengen Agreement rules for Croatian citizens. Based on the pre-Schengen bilateral agreements between Croatia and neighbouring EU countries (Italy,Hungary andSlovenia), Croatian citizens were allowed to cross the border with only a Croatian national identity card (a passport was not obligatory).[64] Many people living near the border crossed it several times a day (some work across the border, or own land on the other side of the border), especially on the border with Slovenia, which was unmarked for centuries as Croatia and Slovenia were both part of theHabsburg Empire (1527–1918) andYugoslavia (1918–1991). Prior to Croatia's accession to the EU on 1 July 2013, an interim solution, which received permission from theEuropean Commission, was found: every Croatian citizen was allowed to cross the Schengen border into Hungary, Italy or Slovenia with an ID card and a special border card that was issued by Croatian police at border exit control. The police authorities of Hungary, Italy or Slovenia would then stamp the special border card both on entry and exit. Croatian citizens, however, were not allowed to enter any otherSchengen Agreement countries without a valid passport, although they were allowed to travel betweenHungary, Italy and Slovenia.
These arrangements were discontinued on 1 July 2013 when Croatia became an EU member state. Since then, Croatian citizens have been able to enter any EU member state using only anID card.
On 1 July 2013, Croatian nationals becameEuropean Union citizens and acquired theright to move and reside freely in other EU member states, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. On the same day, 14 EU member states (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden) allowed Croatian nationals to work without restrictions in their country. However, 13 other EU member states imposed transitional restrictions on Croatian nationals wishing to access their labour markets.[65] Annex V of theTreaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union allows member states to apply national measures regulating Croatian nationals’ access to their labour markets for a period of up to five years, and in case of serious disturbance to their labour markets or the threat thereof, and after notifying the commission, for a further two years (i.e. up to a maximum of seven years in total).
Croatian nationals who on 1 July 2013 had already resided in an EU member state for a continuous period of at least 5 years acquired the right ofpermanent residence (meaning that they could work without any restrictions in their host EU member state), as long as during their continuous residence of 5 years they were a worker, self-employed person, self-sufficient person, student or family member accompanying or joining an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen.[66]
On 1 July 2013, non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who were family members of a Croatian national and accompanying or joining him/her also acquired theright to move and reside freely in other EU member states.
On 1 July 2020, restrictions were lifted in the last remaining member state (Austria), giving Croatian citizens right to work in all EU and EEA member states.
| EU member state | Restrictions lifted |
|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 1 July 2013 |
| Romania | 1 July 2013 |
| Finland | 1 July 2013 |
| Sweden | 1 July 2013 |
| Estonia | 1 July 2013 |
| Latvia | 1 July 2013 |
| Lithuania | 1 July 2013 |
| Poland | 1 July 2013 |
| Czech Republic | 1 July 2013 |
| Slovakia | 1 July 2013 |
| Portugal | 1 July 2013 |
| Denmark | 1 July 2013 |
| Hungary | 1 July 2013 |
| Ireland | 1 July 2013 |
| France | 1 July 2015 |
| Germany | 1 July 2015[67] |
| Spain | 1 July 2015[68] |
| Belgium | 1 July 2015[69] |
| Luxembourg | 1 July 2015[70] |
| Cyprus | 1 July 2015 |
| Greece | 1 July 2015 |
| Italy | 1 July 2015 |
| Malta | 26 January 2018[71] |
| Slovenia | 1 July 2018[72] |
| United Kingdom | 1 July 2018 |
| Netherlands | 1 July 2018[73] |
| Austria | 1 July 2020[74] |
In the run up to accession to the European Union, Croatia aligned its visa policy with that of the European Union. As a result of the new visa regime, some third-country nationals (such as Russian and Turkish nationals) who were previously temporarily exempt from having to obtain a visa to visit Croatia were now subject to a visa requirement. However, to mitigate the effect of the re-imposition of a visa regime on tourist numbers, the Croatian government has introduced a 'facilitated entry of aliens' procedure, exempting travellers who have a Schengen visa or residence permit from having to obtain an additional Croatian visa to visit Croatia until 31 December 2013.[75] In addition, the Croatian government has extended the working hours and capacity of its foreign missions in countries such as Russia and Ukraine to ensure that applications for Croatian visas are processed more efficiently.[76]
Upon Croatia's accession to the European Union on 1 July 2013, several countries and territories outside the European Union aligned the visa requirements imposed on Croatian citizens with those imposed on other EU citizens. For example, on 1 July 2013,Hong Kong extended the visa-free period of stay for Croatian citizens from 14 days to 90 days in line with the visa-free period of stay granted to other EU citizens,[77] whilstNew Zealand introduced a 90-day visa exemption for Croatian citizens.[78] It is likely that these countries and territories amended their visa policy for Croatian citizens because of the European Union'svisa reciprocity mechanism.
During June 2011 Croatia began with implementation of the projects and reforms required to join theSchengen Area by 2015.[79] By joining the Schengen Area, border checks will be eliminated at the land border withHungary andSlovenia, as well as at airports and ports for flights and ships to/from Schengen member states, thus facilitating the freer movement of persons between Croatia and the rest of the Schengen Area.
The influx of refugees and migrants from Greece throughNorth Macedonia and Serbia to Croatia and then to current Schengen member states like Slovenia, Austria and Hungary, as part of the 2015European migrant crisis, led some to question whether there will be the political consensus necessary for further enlargement of the Schengen Area.[80][81][82][83] In September 2015,Hungary threatened to veto Croatia's accession to the Schengen Area after it allowed migrants to transit the country into Hungary.[84]Slovenia also suggested it could veto Croatia's accession to the Schengen Area as a result of itsborder dispute,[85] though it ultimately did not.
On 8 December 2022, the ministers of justice and home affairs representing their EU countries, called theJustice and Home Affairs Council, which is one of the configurations of the Council of the European Union, made the final decision to admit Croatia to the bloc. This went in to effect on 1 January 2023, which meant that checks on persons at internal land and sea borders between Croatia and the other countries in the Schengen area were lifted. Checks at internal air borders, meaning airports, were lifted on 26 March 2023, given the need for this to coincide with the dates of IATA summer/winter time schedule. From 1 January 2023, Croatia started issuing Schengen visas and be able to make full use of the Schengen Information System.[86]
Croatia's accession to the EU obliges them to apply for membership in theEuropean Economic Area (EEA).[87] The Croatian government submitted their application on 13 September 2012,[88] and membership negotiations started 15 March 2013 with the aim to enlarge both the EU and the EEA on the same date, 1 July 2013.[89] However, this was not achieved.[90][91] On 11 April 2014, the EU and its member states (including Croatia), Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein signed an agreement concerning the accession of Croatia to the EEA. It provisionally applied until it officially entered into force on 19 February 2025.[92]
Croatianpublic opinion was divided on EU accession.Opinion polling for the EU referendum showed the population was mostly in favour of joining. Public support ranged from a high of 80% to lows of 26–38%.[93] Political analyst Višeslav Raos cited theeuro area crisis among the factors: "[Croatians] know that the European Union is not a remedy to all economic and social problems. So the EU itself is in a sort of crisis, and that reflects on Croatia's accession."[93] The government announced an information campaign to reverse the drop in support.[93]
A referendum was held in Croatia on 22 January 2012 on joining the European Union, and the result was 66% approval to join, though the turnout was low at 43.51%.[2][3][4][5][94]
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(December 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Member countries | Capital | Population | Area (km2) | GDP (billion US$) | GDP per capita (US$) | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Croatia | Zagreb | 4,290,612 | 56,594 | 80.983 | 18,338 | Croatian |
| Accession countries | 4,290,612 | 56,594 | 80.983 | 18,338 | 1 | |
| Existing members (2013) | 503,492,041 | 4,454,237 | 15,821.00 | 31,607 | ||
| EU28 (2013) | 506,777,111 (+0.85%) | 4,510,831 (+1.31%) | 15,868.983 (+0.51%) | 31,313.54 (−0.74%) |
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)| Previous enlargements | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates |
| ||||||||
| Potential candidates | |||||||||
| Partnerships |
| ||||||||
| Other geographically European countries | |||||||||
