The head of the Delegation of the European Union to Croatia, Ambassador Paul Vandoren, said in the eastern Croatian city of Osijek on Thursday that the European Union welcomed Croatia as the 28th member and that it was ready to accept Croatian as its 24th official language, but that the final decision was up to Croatian citizens and that the EU would respect it no matter what it was.
Addressing the conference "Regional Development in New European Perspective - Possibilities, Challenges and Best Practices for Pannonian Croatia", Vandoren said the EU enlargement policy was successful as it took into account regional policies and the fact that there were differences between countries' regions and between large cities and rural areas, and that sustainable development was possible only if those differences were reduced to the minimum.
Vandoren said that by financing projects the EU member states had shown they were ready to support Croatia and its development, adding that in the event of Croatia's entering the bloc, funds in much higher amounts would be made available to the country. Vandoren, however, stressed that this should not be the only objective but a means of ensuring future development.
Asked by reporters what the general public can expect of Croatia's EU membership, Vandoren said that on 1 July 2013 Croatia would not enter heaven, but embark on a process which offered many possibilities.
Vandoren said that after that date Croatia, as an official EU member, would take part in the functioning of the Union and in the decision-making process, adding that the Croatian market would be integrated with the EU market of some 500 million consumers, which he said was a great opportunity for Croatian entrepreneurs.
Asked to comment on a decline in public support for Croatia's EU membership, indicated by the latest opinion polls, Vandoren said the Delegation of the EU to Croatia for years had been conducting similar polls which showed stable support to the country's EU entry.
