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EU bound Croatia marks 20 years of independence

ZAGREB : Croatia on Saturday celebrated 20 years of independence, buoyed by an offer from the European Union to take in

Published June 25, 2011 Updated June 25, 2011 09:53am

3 min

By Syed Murtaza Gheblehzadeh

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Croatia and its neighbour Slovenia declared their independence from Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991 -- heralding the start of the multi-ethnic federation's break-up in a series of wars in the 1990s.

On the eve of Saturday's anniversary, which will see ceremonies in the capital Zagreb and other parts of the country, President Ivo Josipovic hailed a statement from EU leaders saying Croatia was ready to conclude lengthy membership talks.

"In the headquarters of the European Union decisions are passed today which will finally crown 20 years of our endeavours to become a fully integrated member of the European world of democracy," Josipovic said in an address broadcast on national television.

"En route to the European Union Croatia has become better, more successful, more democratic. It has become freer," he said.

EU leaders said that after "intensive efforts", Croatia was ready to conclude lengthy accession talks by the end of June, paving the way for it to join the bloc on July 1, 2013.

The move, which raised the hopes of other Balkan nations hoping to join the EU, came 16 years after the end of Croatia's 1991-1995 war.

While Slovenia was allowed to go its own way after 10 days of clashes, Croatia faced fierce opposition from Belgrade-backed rebel Serbs who opposed its independence.

The 1991-1995 war claimed some 20,000 lives and Saturday's ceremonies will include a gathering of top officials in the eastern town of Vukovar, which was captured by rebel Serb forces backed by the Yugoslav army after a brutal three-month-long siege. The town has become a symbol of Croatia's suffering during the war.

Croatia was held back following the war by the authoritarian and nationalist rule of the country's first president, Franjo Tudjman.

As well as thwarting democratic reforms, Tudjman's regime allowed fraudulent privatisations that nearly ruined the country's economy, already hard-hit by the war.

It was after Tudjman's death in December 1999 that Croatia started its transformation into a genuine parliamentary democracy striving to join Europe.

Croatia will be the second former Yugoslav republic to join the EU after Slovenia, which has been a member of the bloc since 2004.

After a special government session in Zagreb on Saturday, the country's top officials will head to Vukovar, where they will commemorate those killed in the conflict.

Later on Saturday, Josipovic is to host a dinner in Zagreb for his Slovenian and Hungarian counterparts, Danilo Turk and Pal Schmitt.

Yugoslavia consisted of six republics -- Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. All of them are now independent states, including Kosovo, although Belgrade does not recognise its former southern province.

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