In reports from the central celebration in Zagreb, describing the mood with which Croats welcomed their entry into the EU, Slovenian television stated that Croatian citizens show a pragmatic and non-euphoric view of membership, aware that the EU offers them developmental opportunities that they must utilize themselves and that there is no atmosphere in Croatia where economic difficulties would be blamed on the crisis in the EU.
Ljubljana’s Delo on the front page and under the headline ‘Croatia Joyfully Entered the EU’ notes that in Croatia, alongside the joyful mood, there is also concern about high unemployment and negative economic trends. Despite everything, there remains some optimism in Croatia, and the country has begun a new chapter in its not-so-easy history, states the leading Slovenian newspaper.
Sarajevo’s Dnevni avaz emphasizes that Croatia became a member of the richest and largest political-economic bloc of countries in the world at midnight, which is of exceptional significance for BiH as it also represents the arrival of the EU at its borders.
Along with a comprehensive five-page report on the ceremony held in Zagreb in the presence of numerous foreign guests, Avaz also features an interview with Croatian President Ivo Josipović, who assessed that this marks the beginning of a completely new period. It will be impossible to stop the positive influence of the EU on all issues; standards will simply have to be synchronized on both sides of the border, said Josipović.
