Croats are voting Sunday on whether to join the European Union. If they approve the measure, as many expect, Croatia will become the 28th EU member – a symbolic victory for both the Balkan nation and for Brussels. Croatia’s referendum on joining the European Union comes as the block faces one of its biggest crises ever – the sovereign debt and banking problems that have migrated from one eurozone country to another. There is a sizable chunk of Croats opposed to joining the EU. On Saturday police clashed with protesters in Zagreb at an anti-EU rally that gathered hundreds of people.
… Analysts say Croatia’s membership is important for the EU as well, in part because it could help cement stability in the Balkans. “Because there would be few developments that would be more challenging to the EU and potentially more negative than the descent of the Balkans into deep political instability,” said Thomas Klau, the head of the European Council’s Paris office. If Croatia becomes the next EU member it will signal to other candidate countries, notably neighboring Serbia, that they, too, might someday be part of the bloc.
Full Article: Croatia Holds Referendum on EU Membership | News | English.