Extending seasonal greetings to foreign ambassadors, President Josipovic said that after the signing of the Croatia-EU Accession Treaty, EU membership would provide the country with firm foundations for fully exploiting Croatia's creative potential.

Just as the EU's 27 member-countries, Croatia is not giving up its sovereignty when entering the EU, but is prudently investing a part of it into the most prosperous political and economic community in the world, the head of state said.

Josipovic said that the 9 December 2011 signing of the Accession Treaty marked the completion of the transition of Croatia whose well-being and national self-respect in the early stages of its statehood had been more affected by "widespread systematic corruption" than by the war or transition from Communism to democracy.

As for the 4 December parliamentary election, Josipovic said that the previous government led by Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor had served the Croatians the best it could.

The president wished wisdom, courage, success and luck to the new government led by Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic which he said had embarked on new challenges.

He said that the new year would be marked by major challenges on the path towards financial consolidation and economic recovery, and that the remedy for the country's economic stagnation would be in making Croatia's economy competitive as well as in knowledge and education for which the EU offered the best framework.

The Apostolic Nuncio in Croatia, Mario Roberto Cassari, said that the signing of the Croatia-EU Accession Treaty was one of the most important events in 2011.

Recalling speeches by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Croatia in June 2011, the papal nuncio said that Croatia had always belonged to Europe in the spiritual and moral sense.

Since the very beginning, your people has belonged to Europe and contributed to its spiritual and material values, Cassari said at the reception.

Apart from the EU-Croatia Accession Treaty, the dignitary also cited the 20th anniversary of Croatia's independence and the 20th anniversary of the fall of Vukovar, as well as the election of the new government, as important events in 2011.

I congratulate the elected authorities and I guarantee that we will give our sincere contribution just as we did in the case of the previous government, Cessari said at the reception that was attended by 64 ambassadors, nine international organisations' representatives, Parliament Speaker Boris Sprem, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic and Deputy Parliament Speaker Jadranka Kosor.