BRATISLAVA, January 24, (WEBNOVINY) — Following the Monday’s session of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Mikulas Dzurinda congratulated Croatia on a successful referendum on the country’s accession to the EU. “I am happy, it is a good decision for the Croats, a good decision for the Western Balkans, our neighborhood and thus, also for us, Slovaks, and for the entire EU,” Dzurinda told journalists.
“We got used to [thinking that] the EU is more about money, funds and crisis and we less often remember that the European unification project is also particularly about safety,” the head of the Slovak diplomacy remarked. If the Balkans and the territory of former Yugoslavia are safe, the hope that Europe as a continent will develop safely in the coming years will strengthen profoundly.
Sixty-six percent of voters that came to cast their ballot on Sunday ticked “yes” in the referendum while 33 percent voted against the membership in the 27-nation bloc. Croatia shall become the 28th member of the EU as of July 1, 2013 and is the second former Yugoslav republic to join the bloc, following Slovenia in 2004.
SITA