Croatia will join the EU on July 1, 2013 under a decision approved Monday at a meeting of the EU General Affairs Council, a council spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The agreement on Croatia’s accession as the 28th member of the EU will be signed on December 9 during the EU summit in Brussels. In order to become effective, all 27 EU members must ratify it.
The spokesperson said that Croatia’s EU accession “sends a positive signal to the whole Balkan region.”
The EU’s envoy to Croatia, Paul Vandoren, said that the country would join the EU even if it fails to fulfill its remaining obligations, most notably privatizing its loss-making shipyards.
Vandoren also said the EU would continue monitoring the country's judiciary reforms, fight against corruption and restructuring of the shipbuilding industry.
