The Constitutional Court on Monday decided that the January 22 referendum on Croatia's accession to the European Union, when more than 66 percent of the participating voters voted in favour of EU accession, was held in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws. The government is now expected to send the EU Treaty of Accession to Parliament for ratification.
The Constitutional Court said that the deadline for complaints regarding the constitutionality and lawfulness of the referendum expired two days ago, and that it rejected all 22 complaints that were submitted as unfounded.
The Constitutional Court's decision takes effect immediately, and it will be published in the Official Gazette. With its entry into force, the referendum procedure for Croatia's accession to the EU is considered completed.
In the January 22 referendum, 66.27 percent of 1,960,231 people who went to the polls, voted in favour of Croatia's EU entry, while 33.13 percent voted against.
Croatia's Treaty of Accession to the EU has so far been ratified by four of the 27 EU member countries - Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Italy.
Closing a parliamentary session in late February, Parliament Speaker Boris Sprem said the session would continue after the Constitutional Court decided on the constitutionality and lawfulness of the EU entry referendum and the government sent the Treaty of Accession to Parliament for ratification.
The Parliament said on its web site on Monday that it would continue its session on March 7.
Croatia signed its Treaty of Accession in Brussels on December 9.
