People gathered in Zagreb yesterday, the capital of Croatia. The atmosphere was peaceful and happy. There was music and fireworks, and there were famous people there, as well. Of course, there were quite a few speeches to try and put it all in perspective, too.
It was not for some huge win by their national football team, or even by the local squad.
The gathering was because once the clock struck midnight, Croatia officially joined the European Union (EU). It is the 28th member of the EU.
Of course, the timing is a bit precarious, as the Union is having all sorts of problems at the moment, with some members (particularly Greece and Spain) suffering from severe instability, heavily indebted and with very high unemployment rates, particularly for youths.
There is also the controversy regarding the austerity measures, which the Germans are pushing for especially hard. Germany, of course, has the strongest and largest economy of any EU member, and has financed much of the bailout money assisting these nations, but this has generated considerable controversy.
Some in Croatia have expressed doubt that joining Europe will do much of anything for Croatia.
For that matter, Croatia has experienced some of it's own troubles recently, as well. There will be concerns inside of Croatia, as well as the larger European Union community that it just joined.
Yet, such concerns will have to wait until later, because in Zagreb's main square last night, all of that was temporarily forgotten. People were gathered and in a celebratory mood for the accession ceremony.
Perhaps people in Croatia are happy, because it was not long ago that the country was engulfed in a bloody war. There was a lot of fighting in the former Yugoslavian states, and the headlines back then were all for the wrong reasons. So, that Croatia has found the stability to become an EU member now is a considerable achievement, when you think about it.
The European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, said "Welcome to the European Union!" in Croatian.
The President of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic, described it as "a great and joyful day for our homeland."
There are still plenty of European nations that are not members of the European Union, but it continues to expand. And, despite the obvious problems that the EU have been facing as of late, it is not enough to dampen the enthusiasm of new member nations only too happy to join their continental brethren.
Croatia became the first former Yugoslavian nation to join the EU.
Here's hoping that this marriage works out for the best for all parties involved!!
"Croatia celebrates on joining EU" by Guy De Launey of CNN News, Zagreb, July 1, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23118035
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-01/celebrations-as-croatia-becomes-the-28th-country/4791750
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/30/us-croatia-eu-idUSBRE95T04P20130630
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