Country Watch
A Look at the Economic, Political, and Social Events that Shape International Law Around the World
European Union Finalizes Croatia Membership Treaty
On September 14, 2011, after nearly two years of drafting and editing work, European Union (EU) member states finalized the text of an acces- sion treaty that will serve to recognize Croatia’s membership in the European Union. The 350- page agreement clarifies the legal rights and ob- ligations associated with the nation’s accession. Croatia, a small Eastern European nation with a population of 4.5 million, is now projected to be- come the EU’s 28th member on July 1, 2013.
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The European Union is a political and economic organization formed by the cooperation of ap- proved European states; its primary purpose is to facilitate trade between members. To join the Union, prospective member states must demon- strate stability in a number of categories, gener- ally regarded as the Copenhagen criteria. Broadly speaking, the Copenhagen criteria require mem- ber states to exhibit an established market econ- omy, a stable democratic government, respect for human rights, and an appreciation for the rule of law. The accession process involves a series of negotiations in which current members evalu- ate the prospective state’s progress until they deem these criteria to be satisfied.
The finalization of Croatia’s accession treaty marks the near-end of an eight-year negotiation process. Croatia first applied for EU membership in 2003, but official negotiations did not com- mence until 2005, when the nation began coop- eration with the International Criminal Tribunal on Yugoslavia. Shortly after negotiations began, they were suspended due to a land dispute with Italy that lasted until 2006. A long-standing maritime border dispute with Slovenia again stalled the
discussions for several months in 2009. Talks re- sumed at the end of 2009, and continued until June 30, 2011, when EU member states conclud- ed that Croatia met all requirements and invited the nation to become the newest addition to the union.
Throughout the negotiation process, Croatia was required to adopt and implement a multitude of reforms in order to comply with the European Union’s economic, political, and social standards for accession. Upon conclusion of the negotia- tions, Jose Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, applauded Croatian au- thorities for their hard work in reforming their gov- ernment to meet these standards, asserting that the negotiations were “hard but fair.” EU Com- missioner for Enlargement and European Neigh- bourhood Policy, Stefan Fuele, said Croatia had changed “tremendously” during the negotiation process, transforming into a “mature democracy based on the rule of law and into a functioning market economy.”
Barroso further noted that current member states “have full confidence in the Croatian authorities” to continue confronting issues that were particu- larly difficult for the former Soviet bloc country to reform: corruption, organized crime, and hu- man rights. Fuele stressed that his Commission would continue its strict, transparent approach to monitoring Croatia so that the nation will be able to fully assume the responsibilities of member- ship.
Some experts, however, criticized the accession process for its seeming disregard of the tradi- tionally strict EU requirements for rule of law and clean government. Noticeably absent from the text of the proposed treaty are “safeguard
ILSA Quarterly » volume 20 » issue 2 » December 2011
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