German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday welcomed the positive outcome of the Croatian referendum on accession to the European Union, saying Germany and the EU were looking forward to Croatia's entry in 2013, the German Embassy in Zagreb said in a statement delivered to the media.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert quoted Merkel as saying, "Croatian citizens have voted for Croatia to continue following the European path. Germany and the EU are looking forward to Croatia's accession to the European Union. The positive outcome of the referendum on the country's accession to the European Union highlights the attraction of the EU."
Merkel also said that "Croatia's upcoming EU accession should mean to the other Western Balkan countries that reforms on the path to Europe pay."
