Europe

Europe

Croatia Holds EU Accession Referendum

22 January 2012 02:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Croatia, a former Yugoslav republic, holds on Sunday a referendum on the countryâ€™s accession to the European Union slated for next year, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti.

Over 4.5 million voters are eligible to join the referendum at 6,700 polling stations in the country and around the world.

Croatia signed an accession treaty with the EU in December last year and is set to join the 27-nation bloc in July 2013.

Over 50% of Croats must approve of the move for the country to become an EU member. Aside from the referendum, the document must be ratified by all current EU members.

A most recent public opinion poll, conducted by Ipsos Puls agency, indicates that 61% of Croat citizens are pro-EU, while 31% are against the EU membership fearing foreign interference in domestic affairs.

About 1,000 protesters opposed to Croatia’s joining the European Union clashed with police on Saturday in the capital, Zagreb.

According to official reports, Croatia is facing a recession, which could be aggravated by EU accession. The country already has an unemployment rate at around 17% and a budget deficit projected at 6.2% of GDP.