"This is a millennial decision for Croatia. We believe it is a good one and this government supports it," Milanovic said while speaking about preparations for the referendum, scheduled for January 22.

"We are close to achieving a goal on which we have been working a lot," he said, thanking all government officials and diplomats for the effort made. "This is the first referendum after one on independence in 1991, or the second in Croatia's history, and it is very important that it should be organised in an exemplary manner."

He reiterated that it was necessary to ensure clear procedural conditions because of certain objections from the public. "Croatia doesn't have a fully elaborated law on referendum, but we believe that the existing constitutional provisions can be directly applied, which we will do in consultation with the State Election Commission and legal experts."

Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic said that "everything we have been doing and thinking and everything we have actively participated in in the last ten years will be put to the test by Croatian citizens, and what they say at the referendum will be our decision."

Pusic said that the president of the republic, the government, ministers and civil society organisations would be involved in preparations for the referendum through public presentations. She noted that the policy chapters that had been the subject of accession negotiations were already posted on the ministries' Internet sites, and that most frequently asked questions about EU membership would also be posted online.