Speaking in a public debate on Croatia's first election for members of the European Parliament (EP), set for 14 April, he called on Croatian citizens to vote on Sunday to give full legitimacy to the Croatian MEPs.

"Given the strengthened role of the European Parliament, Croatian citizens will get the chance, through their representatives, to actively participate in decision-making in the European Parliament, in decisions which will define our life in the future," Leko said, urging an intensified campaign to inform citizens about the role the Croatian parliament had in Croatia's EU accession process.

EP Vice President Miguel Angel Martinez recalled that Croatian MPs were already in the EP as observers. They are excellent people who have gained our trust, he said, stressing the importance of Sunday's vote.

All eyes in Europe and the world will be on Croatia on Sunday because on that day Croatia will have a role it never had in European history. You will show the EU if the Croatian people is mature, if Croatian citizens are responsible or if they are a people who will leave their fate up to others, said Martinez.

He said the turnout was very important, recalling that in the last EP election the turnout in some member countries was a mere 20 per cent and that their deputies were always being asked who they represented and were not always taken seriously.

Martinez said this was also the first time that a new member's accession to the EU was much more important for the Union than for the newcomer. He said there was no member that would leave the EU but that scepticism about the EU project was on the rise, resulting in enmities.

At such a moment, a new member country is joining the EU, proving that the EU project is very much alive, he said.

Among those attending the discussion were Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, War Veterans Minister Predrag Matic, the head of the EU Delegation to Croatia, Paul Vandoren, and the permanent representative of the UN Development Programme to Croatia, Louisa Vinton.